Report on PM's speech in Barmer sent to EC: Poll authorities

A voter turnout of 64 percent was recorded in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday, the Election Commission said. Voting was held in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states in this phase.

A voter turnout of 64 percent was recorded in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday, the Election Commission said. Voting was held in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states in this phase.

Voter turnout for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh which went to the polls on Monday was recorded at 57.58 per cent, slightly lower than in 2014.

According to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Venkateshwar Lu, 57.88 per cent votes were cast when polling closed at 6 pm.

A voter turnout of 67.13 per cent was recorded till 6 pm in Rajasthan's 13 Lok Sabha seats which went to polls Monday, an election official said.

"Voter turnout in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies is 67.13 per cent till 6 pm," according to the office of the chief electoral officer.

Tribal dominated seat of Banswara recorded the highest voting percentage at 72.34, followed by Barmer which recorded 72.21 per cent voting.

Chittorgarh and Jhalwar-Baran also recorded 71.29 and 70.95 per cent voting.

Over 53 per cent electorate cast their votes till 5 pm Monday in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Polling was held amid opposition Samajwadi Party's allegation that many EVMs malfunctioned and in Kannauj several SP workers were prevented from coming out of their homes to vote.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the central forces for allegedly firing "inside" a polling booth in Birbhum district and accused the BJP of misusing the forces in the elections.

Stating that the law and order is a state subject, she said it is not the job of the central forces to enter polling booths and they should keep vigil outside.

In Dubrajpur area of Birbhum constituency, voters allegedly engaged in a scuffle with the central forces when they were barred from entering booths with mobile phones, a senior election official said.

Security personnel reportedly fire in the air to control the mob, following which polling was stalled in the booths, the official said.

"I have heard that the CRPF fired inside a booth in Dubrajpur. I am yet to get the detailed report. CRPF personnel can be deputed outside booths, but they do not have the right to lathicharge or fire," Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, said.

An average 66.09 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm across six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh that went to polls Monday, an official said.

A total of 1.05 crore people were eligible to vote for the six seats. The polling began at 7 am.

"An average 66.09 per cent turnout was recorded till 6 pm. Those in queue (at 6pm) will be allowed to vote and the final figure will be released later," an election official said.

Voting figures till 6 pm were as follows: Sidhi- 56.82 per cent, Shahdol- 66.89 per cent, Jabalpur- 64.05 per cent, Mandla 67.09 per cent, Balaghat 70.13 per cent and Chhindwara- 72.95 per cent.

The corresponding figures till 5pm were as follows: Sidhi- 47.76 per cent, Shahdol- 64.89 per cent, Jabalpur- 64.05 per cent, Mandla 64.54 per cent, Balaghat 66.88 per cent and Chhindwara- 71.71 per cent.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state V L Kantha Rao said that during a mock-poll, electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced at 207 polling booths as some glitches were found. The polling started on time after the machines were replaced, he added.

EVMs were also replaced at 106 polling booths due to malfunctioning after the voting began.

Billionaires and Bollywood stars lined up outside polling stations along with the common folks Monday in Mumbai, which recorded 51.11 per cent voting, almost similar to the voting percentage of 51.59 in the 2014 polls.

Estimated voter turnout till 3 pm for the 4th phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is 49.53%. Voting is underway in 72 constituencies, across 9 states.

Estimated voter turnout till 3 pm for the 4th phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is 49.53%

Congress candidate and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Monday filed his nomination papers from the Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar which will head to the polls in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19.

Samajwadi Party on Monday changed its candidate from Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh and gave the ticket to sacked BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav.

The Trinamool Congress has written to the Election Commission, regarding the alleged firing by Central Forces personnel inside a polling booth in Dubrajpur, Birbhum parliamentary constituency in West Bengal. 

"Central forces have created a reign of terror in minds of voters & have also urged the voters to cast their vote for BJP," the TMC wrote in its letter. 

Aam Aadmi Party leader and East Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Atishi Marlena writes to Returning Officer, East Delhi Constituency regarding 'repeated violation of Model Code of Conduct by BJP candidate Gautam Gambhir by distributing pamphlets without details like printer's name and quantity'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing a public meeting in West Bengal's Srirampur

Amid reports of violence during fourth phase of polling in West Bengal, the BJP Monday approached the Election Commission complaining that TMC workers have "hijacked democracy in the state" and again demanded deployment of central forces in all polling booths there.

A BJP delegation, which includes Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vijay Goel, and the party's media in-charge Anil Baluni, met the top officials of the poll panel here and submitted a memorandum in this regard.

"The ruling Trinamool Congress workers have hijacked democracy in the state and are indulging in violence. They are being supported by the local machinery and we demand deployment of central forces in all polling booths," Naqvi said.

Voting was stalled on Monday after villagers vandalised a polling booth in West Bengal's Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency amid the ongoing fourth phase elections in the state.

The incident took place in Poduma under the Dubrajpur Assembly segment.

The villagers clashed with the security forces following a dispute over depositing mobile phones, officials said. To bring the situation under control, the security personnel fired in the air.

However, Trinamool's Birbhum candidate Satabdi Roy said two people were injured in the firing.

Bihar records 40.26 per cent voting till 2 PM

Darbhanga - 40.50 per cent 
Ujiarpur - 37.45 per cent 
Samastipur - 37.49 per cent 
Begusarai - 42.58 per cent 
Munger - 40.50 per cent 

Estimated voter turnout till 2 pm for the 4th phase of general elections is 38.63 per cent. 

Voting is underway in 72 constituencies, across 9 states.

A woman who was heading to a polling booth to cast her vote in the ongoing elections to the three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand on Monday, died after falling from a bike in Garwah district, police said.

According to the police, the incident took place after the victim Murty Devi's husband lost control of his bike.She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

Garwah falls under the Palamau Lok Sabha seat.

Congress candidate and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Monday filed his nomination papers from the Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar which will head to the polls in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19.

Sinha, the incumbent MP who quit the BJP and joined the Congress on April 6, was accompanied by senior Congress leaders in Patna, his hometown where he filed his nomination.

Earlier, Sinha took out a roadshow in the state capital which saw the participation of hundreds of residents and supporters.

The BJP has fielded Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat. 

Shatrughan files nomination from Patna Sahib

BJP President Amit Shah Monday accused the opposition alliance of giving tickets to "bahubalis" (muslcemen) in Uttar Pradesh but said their presence would have no impact now as the Yogi Adityanath government hangs them upside down.

Shah also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying if temperatures increase in the country, the Congress President goes abroad and even his mother cannot find him.

Addressing a Vijay Sankalp rally here, he said, "Mahamilavat wale logon ne Uttar Pradesh mein bahubalion ko ticket diya hai lekin ab yaha bahubalion ki nahi chalti".

BJP leaders have been referring to the opposition alliance as "mahamilavat".

"The mahamilavtis are yet not able to understand that Uttar Pradesh has changed ...they have given tickets to bahubalis ...now it is Yogi government which is at the helm," Shah said.

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar, his wife Anjali Tendulkar, daughter Sara Tendulkar, and son Arjun Tendulkar after casting their vote at polling center number 203 in Bandra.

Sara Tendulkar and Arjun Tendulkar are first time voters. 

An estimated 32.48 per cent voters of the 87.74 electorates cast their ballots till 1 PM in Bihar, where polling for five Lok Sabha seats is underway on Monday, an election official said.

Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary exercised his franchise at a polling station in Kyonta village under Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency, while former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar cast his vote at Masnadpur polling station under Teghra assembly segment of Begusarai seat.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a polling station at Barahiya under Munger Lok Sabha seat.

​Uttar Pradesh witnessed about 25.46 per cent voting for 13 parliamentary constituencies till 1 pm on Monday, officials said.

According to the Election Commission, Hamirpur and Jalaun recorded the highest voter turnout with 31.87 per cent and 31.32 per cent, followed by Kannauj at 29.90 per cent.

Hardoi recorded 26.68 per cent voting, Jhansi 25.33 per cent, Akbarpur 25.02 per cent, Misrikh 24.87 per cent, Kanpur 24.41 per cent, Farrukhabad 24.54 per cent, Kheri 23.52 per cent, Shahjahanpur 21.66 per cent, Etawah 21.51 per cent and Unnao 21.23 per cent.

Earlier in the day, technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) reportedly delayed the balloting process in four polling booths in Kannauj's Chhibramau area. EVM malfunctioning stopped voting in Hamirpur also.

Despite the scorching heat, over 43 per cent of 2.57 crore electorate Monday cast their votes till 1 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan.

Maximum voter percentage of 53.45 was registered in Barmer, followed by Jodhpur where 46.41 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 1 pm.

The voting began at 7 am in the 13 constituencies of Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, according to the office of the chief electoral officer.

About 2.57 crore people are eligible to vote at 28,182 polling stations in the 13 constituencies where 115 candidates are in the fray.

An average 31.03 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Monday in six Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, an official said. Polling was underway in the seats since 7 am.

"An average 31.03 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm," an election official said.

The voting figures till 1 pm are as follows: Sidhi- 22.84 per cent, Shahdol- 34.24 per cent, Jabalpur- 29.40 per cent, Mandla- 34.10 per cent, Balaghat-33.17 per cent and Chhindwara- 33 per cent.

Barring the Naxal-affected Baiher, Lanjhi and Paraswada Assembly segments under Balaghat parliamentary seat, polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm, the official said.

Maharashtra: Actor Salman Khan casts his vote at polling booth number 283 in Bandra, Mumbai.

Mumbai: Kareena Kapoor Khan casts her vote in the fourth phase of general elections.

Punjab: Congress' Manish Tewari files his nomination from Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency. Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh also present.

Mumbai: Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan cast their vote at a polling booth in Juhu

72 constituencies across 9 states record 23.48 per cent estimated voter turnout till 12 pm, in the polling for fourth phase of general elections. 

Mumbai: BJP candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani and her husband Zubin Irani cast their vote at a polling booth in Versova

Former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar on Monday filed his nomination as a BJP candidate for by-election to Panaji Assembly seat in Goa. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA and then chief minister Manohar Parrikar last month.

While earlier there was speculation that the late chief minister's elder son Utpal Parrikar would be given a ticket, the BJP on Sunday announced the candidature of Kunkolienkar for the bypoll, scheduled on May 19.

Before filing his nomination, Kunkolienkar offered prayers at a temple.

The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) led by Shivpal Singh Yadav has announced its support to Congress candidate Acharya Pramod Krishnan in Lucknow.

The PSP has not fielded any candidate in Lucknow.

PSP sources said that the Congress candidate had personally sought support from Shivpal Yadav. "In any case, there was no question of supporting the SP-BSP candidate Poonam Sinha," said a PSP leader.

The PSP is a breakaway group of the Samajwadi Party led by Shivpal Yadav, the estranged uncle of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. 

Former Union Minister Jitin Prasada said on Monday that his sister was unable to vote because her vote had already been cast by the time she reached the polling booth in the Dhaurhara Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

"When my sister went to the polling booth, she found her name had been ticked and the presiding officer told her that vote had been cast. This is how fake voting is taking place," he said.

He said that he would take up the matter with the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the District Magistrate and Returning Officer Amrit Tripathi said her name was ticked due to the fault of a polling employee. He said Prasada's sister would be allowed to vote if she came to the polling centre again.

Congress spokesman Virendra Madan said in Lucknow that this incident showcased the extent of fake voting that was taking place in these elections. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday described the party's proposed 'NYAY' minimum income guarantee scheme as a "diesel for the engine" of the Indian economy.

Addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Dholpur district, Gandhi said the Congress will deposit Rs 3.60 lakh in bank accounts of five crore women in five years unlike Narendra Modi who, he alleged, opened bank accounts of people, but did not deposit a single penny in them.

Gandhi promised to give government jobs to 22 lakh youths in one year, recruit 10 lakh youths in panchayats and said no farmer will be jailed for not repaying loan, if voted to power.

"I am not here to lie. Our NYAY scheme will jumpstart the economy. It will be a diesel for the Indian economy. We will deposit Rs 3.60 lakh in five years in bank accounts of 5 crore women," he said in the rally held in Sepau town of the district.

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha candidate from Mathura, Hema Malini casts her vote with daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Piyush Goyal casts his vote at Walsingham School, Malabar Hill in Mumbai.

"This election is now a Tsunami election. North South, East and West, Modi wave has overtaken the country. PM Modi is the tallest leader today in the country," the Union minister said.

States and constituencies voting today, in the fourth phase of general elections.

States and constituencies voting today

Despite rising temperatures and EVM glitches, Rajasthan on Monday polled 29.40 per cent votes in four hours as 13 of its 25 Lok Sabha seats entered the fray in the fourth phase of the staggered process.

While Barmer polled the highest with 33.53 per cent till 11 a.m., Tonk in Sawai Madhopur polled the lowest with 26.15 per cent.

Earlier there were reported incidents of EVM glitches in Pali, Devli in Tonk, Bhinai in Ajmer and Chohtan in Barmer district.

Dushyant Singh, son of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, was angry over repeated power failures in different parts of Jhalawar and said that state administration deliberately wanted to reduce the polling percentage in Jhalawar.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray cast their vote at a polling booth in Gandhi Nagar, Mumbai.

Poonam Mahajan, Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat also present.

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar cast their vote in Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing a public meeting in Jharkhand's Koderma.

A day after six people on election duty were rescued from a lift at a school in Maharashtra's Thane district, three more poll staffers got stuck in the same elevator as it malfunctioned again on Monday, an official said.

The three poll staffers were using the lift in Sahakar Prasarak Mandal School at Kalwa town here in the morning when it got stuck on the building's fourth floor after developing a technical snag, Thane civic body's regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam said.

The fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and managed to rescue those stuck in the lift after around 15 minutes, he said.

Mumbai: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and his wife Renu Namboodiri cast their vote at polling booth number 167 at MMK College in Bandra.

Rajasthan: Erstwhile King of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh casts his vote at booth number 127 in Jodhpur.

BJP's Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Congress' Vaibhav Gehlot are two of the candidates from the Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency.

Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari, re-contesting the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat, held an 8-km-long road show in his constituency for the third consecutive day on Monday.

He kicked off the road show from Seemapuri area and then went to Nandnagari and Sundarnagari. His road show will culminate at Dilshad Garden.

Hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers raised slogans in favour of Tiwari, who is popular among the Poorvanchali voters.

He got down from his vehicle at several places to interact with the residents. Many people could be seen on rooftops and balconies to get a glimpse of the Bhojpuri star.

Taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party, UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma Monday said efforts made by Akhilesh Yadav to safeguard the political health of the SP are "failing" and his party is in dire need of a "political health tonic".

Sharma also dubbed the SP-BSP tie up as an "unnatural alliance, which will taste defeat similar to the one in 2017."

"When a person is physically weak, he needs a (health) tonic. Similarly, when a political party become weak politically, it needs a political health tonic. If anybody needs it the most today, then it is the Samajwadi Party," Sharma said.

Several incidents of stone pelting took place Monday in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir where polling is underway for election to the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, police said.

"Isolated incidents of stone pelting near polling stations have been reported from various parts of Kulgam district but the situation is under control due to timely action of security forces," a police official said.

He said there were no reports of anyone getting hurt in the stone pelting incidents so far.

The Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency is spread over four districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama with 16 assembly segments.
The Lok Sabha polls to this constituency are being held in three phases due to security reasons.

Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra casts his vote in Malabar Hill.

"We all have been infected by the virus of progress and growth. Even if a coalition govt comes, it should work towards progress and growth of the country," he says.

An estimated 18.39 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in 17 constituencies of Maharashtra in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections Monday.

An estimated 21.15 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in 13 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections Monday.

Seats where polling is underway are Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur.

Sporadic incidents of violence marked the first two hours of polling in West Bengal, where an estimated 16.90 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 9 am on Monday in eight Lok Sabha constituencies.

An electorate of 1,34,56,491 will decide the fate of 68 candidates in the eight constituencies -- Baharampur, Krishnagar, Ranaghat (SC), Burdwan East (SC), Burdwan-Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur (SC) and Birbhum.

There were reports of a clash between TMC and BJP workers outside a booth in Barabani in Asansol, following a tiff between sitting MP and BJP candidate in Asansol, Babul Supriyo and polling officials inside the station.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea of Congress MP Sushmita Dev alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct during their campaigning for Lok Sabha polls.

The top court will hear the plea on April 30.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it would hear the petition tomorrow.

Mumbai: Actor Kangana Ranaut casts her vote at a polling booth in Khar

Complaint filed against Bhagwant Mann, sitting Aam Aadmi Party (Aam Aadmi Party) MP and candidate from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, over alleged discrepancies in his nomination affidavit.

21.15% per cent voter turnout recorded in 13 parliamentary constituencies in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, till 11 am

Actor and BJP candidate Sunny Deol Monday filed his nomination papers from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab. After paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple in Amritsar in the morning, Deol filed his nomination in Gurdaspur.

Deol was accompanied by his brother and actor Bobby Deol.

Punjab BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Mailk, Haryana finance minister and party's election incharge of Punjab Capt Abhimanyu and Akali leader Gurbachan Singh Babehali also accompanied Deol.

Deol will be addressing a rally at PUDA ground in Gurdaspur later in the day. Senior leadership of BJP and SAD will also be present in the rally.
In a tweet, veteran actor Dharmendra sought support of the people for the victory of his son Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur seat.

Punjab: Prem Singh Chandumajra, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Lok Sabha candidate from Anandpur Sahib, files his nomination at DC office in Ropar.

The flying squad of the Election Commission seized Rs 64,500 cash from a car parked outside the poll campaign office of Shiv Sena candidate in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Monday, a police official said.

The raid was carried out in the early hours by the EC's staff near Central Park in Tulinj area where the poll campaign office of Sena's nominee Rajendra Gavit is located, he said.

The action was taken following a complaint by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi activists, including Vasai-Virar mayor Rupesh Jadhav, who alleged that cash was being distributed to lure voters, he said.

Mumbai: Priya Dutt casts her vote at a polling booth at St. Anne's High School in Bandra for the 4th phase of general elections. She is the Congress candidate from Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat.

Jharkhand records an estimated polling percentage of 29.21% till 11 am. 

Actor Sunny Deol reaches Punjab's Gurdaspur to file his nomination

Bihar records 17.07 per cent voting till 11 am​

Darbhanga - 16.80 per cent 
Ujiarpur - 12.69 per cent
Samastipur - 13.25 per cent
Begusarai - 17.60 per cent
Munger - 15 per cent

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, talking exclusively to India TV, on Monday claimed the Congress will win 22 seats in the state. 

"We are confident of winning 22 seats in Madhya Pradesh," the chief minister said. 

"The Bharatiya Janata Party is scared of the situation," Kamal Nath further said. 

An Independent candidate in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat Lok Sabha seat alleged that his vehicle was set afire by Naxals on Monday, officials said.

A case was registered by police in this connection and the state election office was also probing the incident, they said.

Kishore Samrite, who is contesting as an Independent candidate, claimed while talking to reporters in Balaghat that the incident took place when he stopped his jeep at Posra village in Lanjhi area of the district in the wee hours of Monday to offer prayers at a temple.

EVM malfunction was reported from a number of constituencies as polling began for the fourth phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh for 13 Lok Sabha seats.

The seats where polling is being held are Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Misrikh, Unnao, Farukkhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur.

The BJP had won 12 of the 23 seats in 2014. Kannauj was the only seat the BJP did not win - it was bagged by the Samajwadi Party.

Meanwhile, polling was stalled on Monday in booths no 74 and 76 in Shahjahanpur.

Kannauj reported the maximum number of EVM glitches in Chibramau, where polling began almost two hours behind schedule, Tirwa, Bidhuna, Niboh, Gursahayganj, Mirgaion, Naipal, Nadasia and Atara villages.

An average 11.46 per cent voting was recorded in the first three hours of polling in six Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, an official said. Polling began in all the six constituencies at 7 am.

"An average 11.46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 10 am," Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) VL Kantha Rao told reporters.

The voting figures till 10 am are as follows: Sidhi-11.24 per cent, Shahdol-11.9 per cent, Jabalpur-10.96 per cent, Mandla-10.87 per cent, Balaghat-12.14 per cent and Chhindwara-11.63 per cent.

The Samajwadi Party has claimed that a number of its leaders have been put under house arrest in Kannauj where party President Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav is contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

SP state President Naresh Uttam sent a letter to the state election commission late on Sunday night, with photographs of police personnel camping outside the houses of senior SP leaders in the district.

Sources said that more than a dozen leaders were put under ‘house arrest', which prevented them from carrying out any form of political activity.

Samajwadi leader Anil Arya alleged that the party's leaders were being harassed by police at the behest of the BJP government.

"Not even one BJP leader has been put under house arrest, but our leaders are being stopped by the police and have been trapped inside their houses," he said. 

Mumbai: Actor Anupam Kher casts his vote at polling booth number 235-240 in Juhu

Mumbai: Actors Bhagyashree and Sonali Bendre cast their votes at a polling booth in Vile Parle

Mumbai: Actors Ajay Devgn and Dia Mirza cast their votes 

Captains of the Indian industry, including the Ambanis, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and Adi Godrej were among the early voters in Mumbai Monday during polling for the fourth and final phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Chandrasekaran and his wife voted at a polling booth at Worli in Central Mumbai, while Godrej cast his ballot in the Malabar Hill area in south Mumbai.

Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das also exercised his democratic right near his official residence at Pedder Road, his first vote after taking charge as head of the central bank in December last year.

Others to cast their votes included Anil Ambani, who came in early at a booth in Cuffe Parade, and auto major Mahindra and Mahindra's managing director Pawan Goenka, who exercised his franchise in suburban Juhu.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking urgent and necessary directions to the Election Commission to take a decision on the complaints filed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah over alleged violations of electoral laws.

Less than 3 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 9 a.m. on Monday in the second phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, an election official said.

Voting began at 7 a.m. in Kulgam district's four assembly segments -- Noorabad, Devsar, Kulgam and Homshalibugh.

At the Laram polling station in Homshalibugh, voting was delayed for 40 minutes due to a faulty Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) which poll authorities said was being replaced.

A total of 433 polling stations have been set up at 244 locations.

There are 3,45,486 voters in the district. Twenty-one polling stations have been set up for over 3,000 migrants voters in Udhampur, Jammu and Delhi.

As a precautionary measure, mobile Internet services have been suspended in the south Kashmir areas.

Bharatiya Janata Party delegation, including Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Vijay Goel and Anil Baluni are slated to meet the Election Commission today, over the issue of poll-related violence during polling in West Bengal.

Over 13 per cent voting was registered in the first two hours of polling in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan which began at 7 am on Monday.

Banswara recorded the maximum voter turn out of 14.44 per cent, while the overall voting percentage at 9 am was 13.10 per cent, according to the office of the chief electoral officer.​

Banswara is a tribal dominated Lok Sabha seat in south Rajasthan.

The polling began amid tight security arrangements in 13 constituencies of Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.

An estimated 9.59 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling in 13 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections Monday.

Seats where polling is underway are Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur.

Polling in this phase is specially important for the ruling BJP as it is aiming for a clean sweep by winning all 13 seats, including Kannauj which was the only seat the Samajwadi Party had managed to win in 2014.​

Kannauj was won by Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav.

A 50-year-old woman poll staffer died after suffering a heart attack ahead of voting in Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh, an official said
on Monday.

Sunanda Kotekar, who was deployed at Lodhikheda polling booth in Saunsar area of Chhindwara, felt uneasy on Sunday night, Chief Electoral Officer VL Kantha Rao said.

She died of the heart attack even before she could be provided any medical assistance, he added. The woman and other personnel of the polling team had reached the booth early on Sunday.

Mumbai: HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh casts his vote at polling booth numbers 40 and 41 at Peddar Road.

Mumbai: Actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao cast their votes at polling booth in St. Anne's High School in Bandra.

In a first, polling is being conducted at booth number 249 in naxal-affected Jagodih area of Palamu constituency in Jharkhand. 

10.27 per cent voting recorded in fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections across 9 states, till 9 am.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate from Odisha's Kendrapara, Jay Panda, visits polling booth number 38 in the Lok Sabha constituency. 

"Today, we registered 14-15 complaints with poll authorities over disturbance and attempts of booth rigging at different polling booths. We want free and fair polls," Panda said. 

Specially-abled person casts his vote in Bihar's Begusarai.

Pic Credit - Prashant Jha, India TV 

Specially-abled person casts his vote 

An estimated 10.94 per cent of the 45.26 lakh electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of polling on Monday in three Lok Sabha constituencies
of Jharkhand, in the first phase of elections in the state.

Voters queued up before booths in Lohardaga (ST), Palamu (SC) and Chatra constituencies since early morning, as polling began at 7 am, an election official said.

A large number of the women electorate were seen in urban areas of Palamu and Mandar in Lohardaga constituency, they said.

Maharashtra (17 seats) records 6.82 per cent polling till 9 am 

Maharashtra polling till 9 am

Polling percentage recorded till 9 am 

Maharashtra (17 seats)  - 6.82 per cent 
Madhya Pradesh (6 seats)  - 11.11 per cent 
Odisha (6 seats) - 9 per cent 
West Bengal (8 seats) - 16.90 per cent 

Actor Madhuri Dixit casts her vote at a polling booth in Juhu, Mumbai.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was among the early ones to cast his vote on Monday for the Lok Sabha polls in the state's Chhindwara seat, where his son Nakul Nath is the Congress' candidate.

The chief minister along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law arrived at a polling booth in Shikapur area to exercise their franchise.

Power supply tripped briefly when the chief minister and his family members were inside the polling booth, election micro-observer Narendra Singh Sisodia said.

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar casts his vote at polling booth 31 in Mumbai's Tardeo

BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj, who is re-contesting from Unnao parliamentary constituency on Monday exercised his right and said that when the results will be announced the opposition will again blame the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The godman, who is pitted against Congress's Anu Tandon and Samajwadi Party's Arun Kumar Shukla cast his vote at a Unnao polling booth and said, "Anu Tandon is going to lose even her deposit. No one stands a chance against me here."

He also said: "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get more than 400 seats then these people will again raise questions on the functioning of EVMs."

Congress candidate from Farrukhabad and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid also cast his vote in his constituency.

Clashes erupt between Trinamool Congress workers and security personnel at polling booth number 199 in West Bengal's Asansol. 

Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate Babul Supriyo's car vandalised in West Bengal's Asansol. 

7.92 per cent voting recorded till 9 am in Bihar

Darbhanga - 9.34 per cent
Ujiarpur - 6.78 per cent
Samastipur - 6.89 per cent
Begusarai - 7 per cent
Munger - 9.50 per cent

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from West Bengal's Asansol, Babul Supriyo, today said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scared. 

"I will myself take the central forces to that polling station. It is very good that people in West Bengal are aware and they want central forces so that they can cast their vote. This is why Mamata Banerjee is scared," Babul Supriyo said. 

CPI candidate from Begusarai, Kanhaiya Kumar casts vote at a polling centre in Bihar.

As voting began across 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday urged the people to cast their ballots for a prosperous and powerful India.

"For a prosperous and powerful India, for a strong and decision-making government, to fulfill a dream, make sure you go out of your home and vote. Hope you remember, first vote and then refreshment.

The mercury during summer is high, take care of yourself, but do vote. The government is formed by every one vote," he said in a series of tweets.

Congress MP candidate from Mumbai North, Urmila Mataondkar casts her vote at polling booth number 190 in Bandra.

Veteran actress Shubha Khote casts her vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Juhu, in phase 4 of the 2019 general elections.

Uttar Pradesh: Voting is yet to begin at booth numbers 189 and 196 of Chhibramau area in Kannauj after a glitch in EVM was detected.

Uttar Pradesh: Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate from Jhansi, Anurag Sharma casts his vote at a polling booth in Jhansi.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath casts his vote at polling booth number 17 in Shikarpur, Chhindwara.

Villagers in West Bengal's Asansol have boycotted polling at Jemua's polling booth numbers 222 and 226, due to the absence of central forces at the polling station. 

Polling has been suspended at the booth after voters began protest. 

CPI candidate from Bihar's Begusarai, Kanhaiya Kumar, arrives to cast his vote at a polling centre in the city. He is contesting against BJP leader Giriraj Singh in Begusarai.

A crude bomb has been recovered from a polling booth in Santipur, in West Bengal's Nadia district.

Bharatiya Janata Party sitting MP Paresh Rawal and his wife Swaroop Sampat cast their vote at polling booth number 250-256 at Jamna Bai School in Mumbai's Vile Parle.

Polling percentage till 8 am in Bihar

Darbhanga - 4.10 per cent 
Ujiarpur - 3.76 per cent 
Samastipur - 3.70 per cent 
Begusarai - 2 per cent 
Munger - 4.5 per cent 

Voting began on Monday for the second phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha seat amid high security. Very few voters were seen queuing up outside polling stations as voting began at 7 a.m.

Voting is being held in four assembly segments of Kulgam district - Noorabad, Devsar, Kulgam and Homshalibugh.

As a precautionary measure, mobile Internet services have been suspended in the south Kashmir areas.

Train services between Baramulla and Banihal have also been cancelled for the day.

There are 18 candidates in the fray in this constituency, but the main contest is between Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Ghulam Ahmad Mir of Congress and Justice (Retired) Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference (NC).

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate for the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat, on Monday offered prayers at the Golden Temple here ahead of filing his nomination papers.

Sporting a blue turban and a blue shirt, Deol, who himself is a Sikh, entered the shrine complex with folded hands, accompanied by his supporters. He offered prayers at the 'Harmandir Sahib', the sanctum sanctorum.

Following the visit, Deol, 62, later left for Gurdaspur where he will file his nomination papers.

His father, veteran actor Dharmendra and actor brother Bobby Deol are likely to be present during the filing.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate from UP's Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan casts his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Goregaon.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das casts his vote at polling booth numbers 40 and 41 at Mumbai's Peddar Road.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate from UP's Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan waits in queue to cast his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Goregaon.

Veteran actor Rekha casts her vote at polling booth number 283 in Mumbai's Bandra.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das waits in queue to cast his vote at polling booth numbers 40 and41 at Peddar Road in Mumbai. 

Bharatiya Janata Party MP candidate from Mumbai North Central, Poonam Mahajan casts her vote at polling booth number 48 in Worli.

Voting process halts at booth number 111 in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur, following an EVM malfunction.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vasundhara Raje Scindia casts her vote at polling booth number 33 in Jhalawar.

Voting is yet to begin at booth numbers 286/184 and 286/185 in West Bengal's Bolpur after a glitch in EVM was detected. 

Anil Ambani casts his vote at voting centre number 216 at GD Somani School in Cuffe Parade in Mumbai. 

Union Minister and sitting MP from Bihar's Nawada, Giriraj Singh, casts his vote at polling booth number 33 in Barahiya of Lakhisarai district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took to social media and urged people to vote in large numbers. 

"Another phase of the General Elections begins today. I hope those voting today do so in large numbers and break the voting records of the previous three phases. A special appeal to young voters to head to the polling booth and exercise their franchise," the prime minister tweeted. 

Voting began Monday for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in 71 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states. About 12.79 crore people are eligible for voting in the fourth of the seven-phase elections.

The Election Commission has set up 1.40 lakh polling booths/stations and has made elaborate security arrangements.

Polling will be held in 17 seats in Maharashtra, 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand and a part of the Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.

Voters begin to queue up outside polling booth number 256 in Kannauj. 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state go to polls in the fourth phase of general elections.

Rajasthan: Preparation underway at polling booth number 107 at Vardhman Jain upper primary School, Mahamandir in Jodhpur parliamentary constituency. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Jharkhand: Mock poll underway at polling booth number 247 in Loinga village of Palamu. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Preparation underway at polling booth numbers 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279 and 280 at Saraswati Pathshala Industrial Inter College in Jhansi. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

West Bengal: Visuals from polling booth number 184 and 185 at Srinanda High School in Bolpur. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Bihar: Mock poll underway at polling booth numbers 33, 34 and 35 at Rajkiya Primary School in Munger parliamentary constituency. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Madhya Pradesh: Visuals of preparation from polling booth number 17 in Shikarpur of Chhindwara parliamentary constituency. Voting for the fourth phase of 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Mumbai: Visuals of preparation from polling booth number 40 and 41 in Mumbai South constituency. Voting for the 2019 general elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Hello and welcome to our election live updates. The fourth phase of polling for the world's biggest election is set to begin shortly in India. Polling will be held across 72 seats in nine states.