EC announces final voter turnout, check details

Election Commission: The total seizures in 2019 Election so far, till 6 pm, is Rs 2626 Crore - cash Rs 607 Crore, liquor worth Rs 198 Crore, drug & narcotics worth Rs 1091 Crore, precious metal worth Rs 486 Crore, freebies & other items worth Rs 48 Crore

Election Commission: Voters in great number fearlessly used their franchise in Shyamgiri (in Bastar's Dantewada district) polling station. Turnout was 77% in this polling station.

Election Commission: There have been some incidents where EVMs have been damaged. 6 incidents in Andhra Pradesh, 5 in Arunachal Pradesh, 1 in Bihar, 2 in Manipur and 1 in West Bengal. 

Voting percentage till 6 pm. Final percentage likely to rise

Telangana: 60.57 per cent
Uttar Pradesh: 63.69 per cent
Andman and Nicobar: 70.76 per cent 
Andhra Pradesh: 56 per cent

Maharashtra: Two security personnel have been injured in an IED blast and firing by naxals in Etapalli of Gadchiroli district when they were returning to the base camp along with the polling party today. The injured jawans are being brought to Nagpur.

We have been successful in conducting the first phase of polls in a free, fair & peaceful manner. There has been no untoward incident whatsoever reported in the polls. The failure rate of EVMs has been under 1%: Surendra Kumar, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Thursday said West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) actually stood for 'tushtikaran' (appeasement), mafia and chit fund and urged the people to uproot it from the state.

"In TMC, 'T' stands for tushtikaran. The party does not miss a single opportunity to appease infiltrators from Bangladesh. 'M' is for mafia and hooligans of Trinamool who are harassing the people of Bengal, and 'C' stands for chit fund under the guise of which Mamata's leaders looted thousands of crores of rupees," Shah said at a public rally in Raiganj in Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

Shah was campaigning for party candidate Debasree Chaudhury in the minority-dominated Raiganj, where the BJP is looking to consolidate the Hindu votes while hoping that the minority votes will get divided among the Opposition outfits.

Bihar: 50.26%

Telangana: 60.57%

Meghalaya: 62%

Uttar Pradesh: 59.77%

Manipur: 78.20%

Lakshadweep: 65.9%

Assam: 68%

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi has denied the party writing any letter on party chief Rahul Gandhi's security to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

When asked, in a press briefing, how ANI news agency got a letter undersigned by party leaders, he said: "Mujhe kya pata. Aap ke biraadari ke log hain; aapko pata hona chahiye."

About 49 per cent voter turnout was recorded in all 17 constituencies till 5 p.m. The final polling percentage will be known late in the evening.

Voting for phase I concludes

Lok Sabha Election Phase 1 voter turnout at 5 PM: Noida 55%, Ghaziabad 53%

Lok Sabha Election Phase 1 voter turnout at 5 PM: Baghpat 60%, Muzaffarnagar 62.2%, Saharanpur 60.3%

Actress and BJP's Mathura MP Hema Malini has attributed the monkey menace in the Mathura-Vrindavan area to visitors "spoiling them by feeding them with samosas and Frooti", and stressed they should only be given fruits.

Voter turnout till 3 pm in Andhra Pradesh was 55%

Voter turnout in Arunachal Pradesh

Voter turnout in Sikkim till 3 PM was 50.87%

Voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir at 3 PM is 51%

Watch newsroom analyses live: 

Andhra Pradesh: A YSRCP worker has been taken to a hospital after he was injured in a clash which broke out between YSRCP and TDP workers at a polling station in Jammalamadugu Mandal of Kadapa district today

BJP chief Amit Shah, earlier today, addressed a rally in Darjeeling and said, "We will ensure implementation of NRC in the entire country. BJP will remove every single infiltrator from the country. All Buddhists and Hindu refugees will be identified and Indian nationality will be given to them."

Clash breaks out between workers of TDP and YSRCP at a polling station in Srinivasapuram Village of Gurajala assembly constituency in Guntur district

Voter turnout till 3 pm:

Mizoram: 55.20%

Tripura West parliamentary constituency: 68.65%

West Bengal: 69.94%

Voter turnout till 3 pm:

Maharashtra: 38.35%

Lakshadweep: 51.25%,

Uttarakhand: 46.59%

Manipur: 68.90%

Voter turnout till 3 pm:

Uttar Pradesh: 50.86%

Nagaland: 68%

Telangana: 48.95%

Assam: 59.5%

Meghalaya: 55%

Maharashtra: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis cast their vote at a polling station in Nagpur earlier today

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth has said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has not done justice to his parliamentary constituency Amethi. Adityanath said Irani always remained concerned about the town's development and the huge turnout of supporters was proof of her work even after she lost the 2014 elections.

BJP President Amit Shah has slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her efforts to form a grand alliance with opposition leaders. Shah claimed that "no one is ready to stand" with her.

"I want to ask Mamata didi, that she is asking everyone to vote for 'Gathbandhan' (Grand Alliance), but with whom do you have the alliance? Congress is against you, Communists are against you and no one is ready to stand with you," he said at a rally in West Bengal's Kalimpong. 

Just as the polling is underway for the first phase, distribution of saffron coloured food packets with ‘NaMo foods' printed on them at a polling booth in Gautam Buddha Nagar, has created a furore. Following this, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Venkateshwar Lu asked for a report on the incident from the District Magistrate.

Ministry of Home Affairs has dismissed claims of an attempt of life at Rahul Gandhi during rally.  We've not received any letter regarding alleged breach in security of Congress Pres Rahul Gandhi. As soon as MHA’s attention was drawn to reports of incident of “green light” being pointed at him yesterday in Amethi, the Director (SPG) was asked to verify factual position, the ministry said in a statement. 

Director SPG informed MHA that the “green light” shown in clipping was found to be that of a mobile phone used by AICC photographer, who was video graphing the impromptu press interaction of Rahul Gandhi near the collectorate in Amethi, the statement said. 

Three dead, 9 injured as tractor overturns near Shankarpur village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli. The victims were returning to their village after casting their votes. 

TDP leader Kodela Siva Prasada Rao attacked at a polling booth in Guntur's Sattenapalli, in Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani has filed her nomination from Amethi parliamentary constituency, ahead of the 2019 general elections. 

Congress writes to Home Minister Rajnath Singh over breach in security of its president Rahul Gandhi yesterday, says Gandhi was addressing media after filing nomination from Amethi, "a persual of his interaction will reflect that a laser was pointed at his head, on at least 7 separate occasions"

Security personnel in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli fire shots in air after some people try to cast vote without voter ID at a polling station the district. 

Commenting on the incident, the district magistrate said, “BSF personnel, fired in air for security reasons after some ppl without voter ID tried to cast vote. Voting has resumed now."

World's smallest living woman, Jyoti Amge, casts her vote at a polling station in Nagpur. 

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today asserted that Narendra Modi will be elected as the prime minister for a second term.

"Along with Assam, the people of the country have decided to cast their vote for the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development, brotherhood, peace and security of the nation," Sonowal said.

On being asked if she thinks Prime Minister Narendra Modi is invincible, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said," Not at all. Don't forget 2004. Vajpayee Ji was invincible, but we won."

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and said Modi has done nothing for the people of India in the last 5 years. 

"There have been many people in Indian history who had arrogance to believe that they're invincible and bigger than the people of India," Rahul Gandhi said. 

"Narendra Modi for the last 5 years has done nothing for the people of India. His invincibility will be in full view after election results," he said. 

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has filed her nomination from Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his wife cast their vote at a polling booth in Siddipet district.

Anti-BJP votes have been deleted across India at an "unprecedented scale", Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed today. 

Kejriwal took to Twitter and tagged people who claimed their names or the names of their relatives have been deleted from the voter lists.

TDP leader S Bhaskar Reddy killed in clashes in Tadipatri town of Anantapur, in Andhra Pradesh. TDP has alleged that YSRCP workers are behind the incident.

Voter turnout till 1 PM in Bihar are as follows -

Aurangabad - 34.60%
Gaya - 33%
Nawada - 37% 
Jamui - 29% 

Voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh till 1 PM are as follows -

Saharanpur - 41.60%
Kairana - 39.80%
Muzaffarnagar - 37.60%
Bijnor - 40.80%
Meerut - 40.60%
Baghpat - 38%
Ghaziabad - 33.20%
Gautam Budh Nagar - 38.60%

41.27 per cent voting has been recorded in all 5 seats of Uttarakhand till 1 PM. 

People queue up to vote for Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency.

Verdict on the legality of the electoral bonds scheme will be passed by the Supreme Court tomorrow. The top court has already heard the arguments from the Centre and the petitioners, seeking either a stay on the scheme or some other transparent alternative for funding of political parties. 

30 percent voting recorded in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad till 1 PM 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holds a roadshow in Amethi

Yog-Guru Swami Ramdev casts his vote at a polling station in Uttarakhand's Haridwar, in the first phase of polling for 2019 general elections.

Sonia Gandhi has begun her roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli. She is slated to file nomination from the Lok Sabha seat today. 

Sonia Gandhi is accompanied by son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, daughter and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. 

Sonia Gandhi performs 'havan' ahead of filing nomination from Raebareli. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also present

Voters in naxal-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh queue up at a polling station to cast their votes in the first phase of polling for Lok Sabha Elections 2019

Actor-turned-politician and Congress candidate from Maharashtra's Mumbai North parliamentary constituency, Urmila Matondkar, met Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar today. 

Polling percentage recoreded in Bihar till 12 PM - 

Gaya - 23%
Nawada - 27%
Jamui - 23%

IED blast triggered by Naxals near a polling booth in Etapalli in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, no injuries have been reported.

Khammam Congress candidate Renuka Choudhary casts her vote in Telangana, says "I am hopeful that we will be able to win this race, I am very optimistic."

Voter turnout till 11 am are as follows -

Telangana - 22.84%  
Uttarakhand - 23.78% 
Lakshadweep - 23.10% 
Maharashtra - 13.7% 
Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies - 24.66% 
West Bengal (2 seats) - 38.08%
Tripura - 26.5%

24.32 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 11 AM in 8 parliamentary constituencies

EVM machine goes disfunctional at booth number 376 at a polling booth in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut; voting affected 

Working President of Telangana Rashtra Samithi KT Rama Rao casts his vote at a polling booth in Hyderabad.

In a fresh case of Income Tax raids at residences of bigwigs, home of YSR Congress MP and Guntur Candidate Modhugula V Reddy is currently being searched by the officials.

Voting is currently underway at a polling station in Berhampur in Odisha

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has requested for re-polling at stations where voting had not commenced by 9:30 AM. 

"Likely that many voters who returned may not have come back for voting even if polling is resumed after replacement / repair of existing EVMs. Therefore re-polling needed at all stations where polling had not commenced upto 9.30 am," the chief minister writes in the letter. 

Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani performs 'pooja' with her husband Zubin Irani ahead of her filing nomination from Amethi parliamentary constituency today.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal casts his vote at a polling station in Dibrugarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing an election rally in Bihar's Bhagalpur

Four Naxals were arrested and three firearms seized from them in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district today while polling was underway in the state's Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.

The Naxals, belonging to Maad division of Maoists, were apprehended from Bedre area in the morning when a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and district force was out on an area domination operation. 

Villagers in Dantewada turnout in large numbers to cast their votes for the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019. On 9th April, BJP MLA Bheema Mandvi and four PSOs had lost their lives in a naxal attack in Dantewada.

Around 25 per cent voting was recorded in the first three hours of polling on Thursday for the West Tripura parliamentary constituency in Tripura.

Police spokesman Subrata Chakraborty said that in 10 places, some persons tried to prevent voters from voting but were thwarted.

"No major incident was reported from anywhere," Chakraborty told IANS.

Election Commission officials said that in some polling stations, voting was temporarily halted due to the malfunctioning of either the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) or the Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.

The main contest is between BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik, 50, Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front candidate Sankar Prasad Datta, 61, and Subal Bhowmik, 58, who quit the BJP's Vice-President's post and became the Congress aspirant last month.

Voter turnout recorded till 9 AM are as follows - 

West Bengal - 18.12% 
Mizoram - 17.5% 
Chhattisgarh - 10.2%
Manipur - 15.6%

Chhattisgarh records a total of 10.2 per cent voting till 9 am. 

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari casts his vote at polling booth number 220 in Nagpur parliamentary constituency

Bihar has so far recorded a total of 10 per cent voting. 

As voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has begun, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has urged voters to vote wisely for the soul of India and its future. 

Referring to promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before assuming power, Gandhi reminded voters that instead of jobs and Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of people, the Modi government has given them "no jobs, distrust, violence, hate and fear".

Voter turnout recorded till 9 am are as follows - 

Telangana - 10.6%
Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 5.83% 
Assam - 10.2% 
Arunachal Pradesh - 13.3% 
Lakshwadweep - 9.83% 

AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP candidate Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote at a polling booth in the city. He is a three time sitting MP from the constituency. 

Voter turnout recorded in different districts of Uttar Pradesh till 9 am are as follows - 
Saharanpur - 8%
Kairana - 10%
Muzaffarnagar - 10%
Meerut - 10%
Bijnor - 11%
Baghpat - 11%
Ghaziabad - 12%
Gautam Budh Nagar - 12%

Ghulam Mohd, a voter in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora casts his vote and says, "This time we want to vote for someone who would raise our specific issues in Parliament."

"We want harmony in the region and as you can see voting is underway smoothly and in a peaceful manner," the voter says. 

Jana Sena MLA candidate Madhusudhan Gupta smashes an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at a polling booth in Gooty, in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. He has been arrested by police.

Voting began on a peaceful note in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir today, as voters in Kupwara, Handwara and Uri turned up early morning to exercise their franchise. 

Polling across the constituency began at 7 am amid tight security and has been peaceful so far.

21 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 9 am in Nagaland parliamentary constituency

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat casts his vote at polling booth number 124 in Defence Colony, Dehradun

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from UP's Muzaffarnagar, Dr. Sanjiv Balyan, alleges fake voting, says, "Faces of women in burkhas are not being checked and I allege that fake voting is being done. If not looked into, I will demand a repoll."

Telangana Rashtra Samithi's K Kavitha casts her vote at a polling station in Telangana's Pothangal, in Nizamabad parliamentary constituency

Uttarakhand has recorded 10 per cent voter turnout till 9 AM. 

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister and TDP's Nara Lokesh casts his vote in Amaravati.

"It'll be a decisive win in Mangalgiri (assembly seat) and also across the state. I am here to convince my electorate that I am a meaningful and a worthy candidate, and I think I've done that," he says. 

A bomb has been recovered from near a polling booth in Salaiya, in Gaya district of Bihar

IndiaTVNews.com will be live blogging throughout the entire election period.  India TV will have up-to-the-minute information on results and updates from our correspondents in all the key districts.

Counting of votes will begin on May 23. 

Naxals have triggered an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where voting is underway. No injuries or casualties have been reported into the incident.

Naxals had planted the explosive underground and were waiting for the security forces to arrive. Narayanpur comes under the Bastar Lok Sabha seat.

YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy casts his vote in Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa. "I'm very confident, people are looking for a change, vote without fear," he says. 

Senior citizen voters cast their vote at a polling booth in Cooch Behar, West Bengal.

Voting underway at a polling station in Manipur's Imphal, in Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency. Voting on 1 out of 2 parliamentary constituencies in the state is being held today

Uttar Pradesh: Voting at booth number 151 in Ghaziabad's Surya Nagar has been delayed, due to a non-functional EVM machine. Voters are complaining of poor facilities at the booth. 

Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, casts his vote at a polling booth in Dehradun 

With government imposing a ban of Jammu-Srinagar highway, voting has begun amidst heightened security. Civic traffic on Baramulla to Udhampur has been banned till May 31. Meanwhile, voting began in Baramulla today. Mohammad Akbar Lone of the National Conference, Abdul Qayoom Wani of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Inspector General of Police Raja Aijaz Ali of People's Conference. In Jammu, the main contest is between Jugal Kishore Sharma of BJP and Raman Bhalla of Congress.

Flower petals showered, dhol played to welcome voters at polling booth number 126 in Baraut, in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu casts his vote with family in Amravati 

Voting in 7 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra has just got underway. The seven seats which are going to polls today are part of the Vidarbha region. However, it the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat that will be most watched.

The face of BJP's development agenda Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is taking on Congress party Nana Patole - a face of farmer agitation. Nagpur is also the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak  Sangh (RSS). Gadkari had won the election in 2014 with a whopping margin. But the fact that Patole himself was a BJP MP who joined Congress last year, makes the fight interesting.

Polling began in the hill state of Uttarakhand at 7 AM today. Voters will seal the fate of leaders like former Chief Ministers Harish Rawat and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Harish Rawat is contesting from Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank from Haridwar. Congress has given the ticket to Manish Khanduri, son of senior BJP leader and once a close aide of Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Maj Gen BC Khanduri from Pauri.

Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat queues up in Haldwani's Devalchaur to vote for the first phase of voting for Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

The Election Commission of India has forbidden media from publishing or broadcasting exit polls until the last phase of polling gets over on May 19.

N Chandrababu Naidu is seeking re-election from Kuppam in his native Chittoor district, while Jagan is contesting once again from Pulivendula, his family stronghold in Kadapa district.

Naidu's son Nara Lokesh is making his electoral debut, contesting for Assembly from Mangalagiri in the capital region of Amaravati.

Pawan Kalyan is contesting from two Assembly constituencies -- Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka. State Congress chief Raghuveera Reddy is contesting from Kalyandurg Assembly constituency.

Chandrababu Naidu's brother-in-law and actor N. Balakrishna is seeking re-election from Hindupur Assembly constituency as the TDP candidate.

Balakrishna's sister and former Union Minister D Purandeswari is contesting from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency on BJP ticket. Balakrishna's son-in-law M. Bharat is contesting for the same seat as TDP candidate while Jana Sena has fielded former CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana.

Voting in Telanga began today at 7 AM. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's daughter K. Kavitha is seeking re-election from Nizamabad, where 178 farmers who entered the fray to highlight their problems including lack of remunerative prices for their produce. Kavitha is locked in a three-cornered contest with Congress' Madhu Yaskhi Goud and BJP's D. Arvind.

Most polling booths close by 5 PM. But if a election officer/observer at the booth decides that time needs to be extended, he can do it.

Polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 could not begin at booth number 206 in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur, due to a disfunctional EVM machine. Election officers are present at the spot. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. Modi took to Twitter early on Thursday and said, "2019 Lok Sabha elections commence today. I call upon all those whose constituencies are voting in the first phase today to turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise. I specially urge young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers."

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat casts his vote for the Nagpur parliamentary constituency in the first phase of 2019 general elections. "Voting is our duty, everyone should vote," Bhagwat said after casting his vote.

Voting in Uttar Pradesh's eight Lok Sabha seats has just begun. It is expected to gain pace as the day progresses. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

In Uttar Pradesh, key constituencies include Saharanpur, Kairana, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Three Union Ministers -- Gen V.K. Singh (Ghaziabad), Satyapal Singh (Baghpat) and Mahesh Sharma (Gautam Buddha Nagar) are in the fray as is Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary.

Voting is underway in Telangana. Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats.

In Andhra Pradesh, voters will cast two votes each to elect 25 MPs and their MLA for 175-member Andhra Assembly.

Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan are among the key contestants in Assembly elections.

Hello and welcome to our election live updates. The first phase of polling for the world's biggest election just got underway in India. From Andhra Pradesh to Arunachal, from Meghalaya to Uttarakhand, from Uttar Pradesh to Telangana, from Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Lakshadweep, polling has begun for 91 Lok Sabha seats and 4 state assemblies.