Voting is underway in all 13 seats in Punjab and an equal number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight seats each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and the lone seat Chandigarh.
A bypoll is being held in Panaji, necessitated due to the death of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar in March.
In Uttar Pradesh, all eyes are on Varanasi, where besides Modi, 25 other candidates are in fray. Modi’s main challengers are Congress’s Ajay Rai and SP-BSP grand alliance’s nominee Shalini Yadav.
An electorate of 1,49,63,064 will decide the fate of 111 candidates in nine seats of West Bengal — Kolkata North and Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar (SC) and Mathurapur (SC).
As many as four Union ministers — Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ram Kripal Yadav, RK Singh and Ashwini Kumar Choubey — are among the 157 candidates in Bihar.
An average of 66.88 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the last six phases. The whole elections were spread over 38 days. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.
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Bihar: Congress’s candidate from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency, Shatrughan Sinha casts his vote at polling booth no.339 in St. Severin’s School, Kadam Kuan, Patna.
4:20 PM
Mamata Banerjee casts her vote
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee casts her vote at a polling station in Kolkata.
Picture: Kolkata, ANI.
3:40 PM
Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly cast his vote at a polling booth in Barisha Janakalyan Vidyapith earlier today
3:15 PM
Voter turnout till 3 PM
51.95% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm: Bihar-46.66%, Himachal Pradesh- 49.43%, Madhya Pradesh-57.27%, Punjab-48.18%, Uttar Pradesh-46.07%, West Bengal- 63.58%, Jharkhand-64.81%, Chandigarh-50.24%.
3:00 PM
2 poll officials die while on duty in UP
Two poll officials ,including a presiding officer, died while on election duty in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.
2:45 PM
Crude bombs hurled in Bhatpara under Barrackpore constituency, West Bengal
Bombs explode close to the car of Madan Mitra, TMC bypoll candidate. EC has sought a report on the incident.
2:30 PM
Patna: Conjoined sisters Saba & Farah cast their votes as separate individuals with independent voting rights for the first time. #Bihar #LokSabhaElections2019
(Pictures courtesy- Election Commission) pic.twitter.com/t0ZFucfQiU— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2019
2:20 PM
Madan Mitra, TMC candidate in Bhatpara bypoll alleges bombs thrown targeting his car
2:00 PM
41.47% polling overall till 2 pm in the 59 seats voting today
1:50 PM
At 1 pm, 31% voter turnout in Phase 7
The overall voter turnout in Phase 7 of Lok Sabha elections 2019 stood at 30.94% at 1 pm .
The poll percentage was 22.87% in Bihar, 29.19% in Himachal Pradesh, 32.87% in Madhya Pradesh, 30.53% in Punjab, 28.36% in Uttar Pradesh, 37.76% in West Bengal, 47.65% in Jharkhand, and 22.30% in Chandigarh, as per data on Election Commission’s Voter Turnout app.
1:43 PM
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh casts his vote
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh casts his vote at polling booth no. 89 in Patiala.
1:30 PM
Congress leader Ajay Rai casts his vote
Congress’s Ajay Rai who is contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, said after casting his vote at a polling booth here earlier today, “Work is being carried out in Varanasi on a temporary basis, nothing is permanent”.
1:00 PM
Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha casts his vote
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha cast his vote at polling booth no.339 in St. Severin’s School, Kadam Kuan.
He is also the Congress candidate from Patna Sahib, against BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Picture: Patana, ANI.
12:30 PM
#WATCH 102-yr old Shyam Saran Negi from Himachal Pradesh's Kalpa, casts his vote in #LokSabhaElections2019. He had cast the first vote in the 1951 general elections. pic.twitter.com/LYATWrRjB1
— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2019
12: 15 AM
At 11 am, 17% voter turnout in Phase 7 of voting
The overall voter turnout in Phase 7 of Lok Sabha elections 2019 stood at 11.61% at 9 AM.
The poll percentage was 17.94% in Bihar, 15.66% in Himachal Pradesh, 16.56% in Madhya Pradesh, 15.70% in Punjab, 14.43% in Uttar Pradesh, 21.11% in West Bengal, 23.86% in Jharkhand, and 10.40% in Chandigarh, as per data on Election Commission’s Voter Turnout app.
12:10 AM
Women TMC workers with covered faces are casting proxy votes: BJP
“Women TMC workers with covered faces are casting proxy votes, it is difficult to establish their identity. When we raised objection to it, they created a ruckus at the polling station,” alleged BJP MP candidate Anupam Hazra at polling booth number 150/137 in West Bengal’s Jadavpur.
12:00 AM
Former Olympian Milkha Singh casts his vote
Veteran Olympian Milkha Singh aka flying Sikh and his wife display their inked fingers after casting their vote in Chandigarh at Sector 8 polling booth on Sunday.
11:45 AM
BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya casts his vote
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya posted this photo on his Twitter handle after casting his vote along with his wife in Indore.
11:40 AM
Two govt employees on poll duty die in MP
Garu Singh Chogad, who was deployed at the Jalwat polling booth in Dhar Lok Sabha constituency, died after suffering a heart failure on Sunday morning, state’s chief electoral officer V L Kantha Rao told reporters. In another incident, a presiding officer, Anil Nema, in Dewas Lok Sabha seat died of cardiac arrest on Saturday night, he said.
11:30 AM
BJP should consider banishing Pragya from the party: Nitish Kumar
Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar alleged that the BJP should consider elimination Pragya Singh Thakur for her comments on Nathuram Godse.
11:16 AM
BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan casts her vote
Lok Sabha Speaker & BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan casts her vote at a polling booth in Indore.
Picture: Indore, ANI.
11:00 AM
Bombs hurled, BJP camp office set of fire in Barasat (Bengal)
Crude bombs were hurled at Raidighi in Mathurapur and voters were allegedly threatened by the activists of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress while a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp office was set ablaze in Rajarhat under the Barasat constituency, reports Times Now.
10:45 AM
Wrong photo on Tejashwi Yadav’s name in the electoral list
It has come to notice that the photo of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is missing from the voter list in Patna and instead, someone else’s photo has been printed.
10:30 AM
Himachal CM Jairam Thakur casts his vote
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur casts his vote at polling station number 36 in Mandi district.
10:20 AM
TMC writes to EC, accuses PM Modi of breaking Model Code of conduct
“Election campaign for last phase of polling for Lok Sabha polls is over, surprisingly Narendra Modi’s Kedarnath Yatra is being widely covered by the media for the last 2 days. This is a gross violation of model code of conduct”
10:00 AM
Summer season not right for holding elections: Nitish Kumar
Questioning the long drawn polling in intense heat conditions, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday suggested that Lok Sabha elections should be held in two or three phases.
9:50 AM
Congress leader Manish Tewari casts his vote
Former Union Minister and Congress’s candidate from Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency, Manish Tewari cast his vote at Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana.
9:45 AM
Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal casts his vote
Congress MP Candidate from Chandigarh, Pawan Kumar Bansal casts his vote at booth no 228, Government Model High School, Sector 28 C.
Bansal is contesting against BJP leader Kirron Kher.
Picture: Chandigarh, TOI.
9:40 AM
Ashok Gehlot mocks Modi for meditating in Kedarnath
Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meditating in Kedarnath, wondering what message he wants to give now.
9:30 AM
Voter turnout till 9 AM, overall turnout is 6%
Voter turnout recorded till 9 am: Bihar-10.65%, Himachal Pradesh- 0.87%, Madhya Pradesh-7.16%, Punjab-4.64%, Uttar Pradesh-5.97%, West Bengal- 10.54, Jharkhand-13.19%, Chandigarh-10.40% in Phase 7 of Lok Sabha Elections 2019.
9:20 AM
Bypoll underway in Panaji; BJP, GSM nominees cast vote
Polling for the by-election to Panaji Assembly seat in Goa began at 7 am on Sunday with BJP candidate Siddharth Kunkolienkar and Goa Suraksha Manch nominee Subhash Velingkar being among the early voters.
9:10 AM
Bike-borne men allegedly threaten voters at booths 108-110 in Jadavpur constituency, West Bengal, as reported by TOI.
9:05 AM
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad casts his vote
Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad to casts his vote at booth no. 77 in Patna Women’s College.
8:50 AM
TMC candidate Abhishek Banerjee casts vote
CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC leader, Abhishek Banerjee casts his vote at polling booth no. 208 in South Kolkata Parliamentary Constituency.
“Whatever he (PM) said in meeting on 15 May in Diamond Harbour, he has to substantiate those statements with ample proof & justify what he said. If he fails to do so I’ll sue him in the criminal and defamation cases. I’ll drag him to the court & do the needful,” he said, reported by ANI.
Picture: Kolkata, ANI.
8:42 AM
Voters in Bhangar allege intimidation by TMC strongmen
In Bhangar under West Bengal’s Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in Bengal, a section of voters alleged intimidation by TMC strongmen on Saturday night, who warned them not to venture to the polling station in the morning. But policemen went to the villages in Uttar Gazipur and encouraged them to vote.
However, former TMC MLA Arabul Islam rejected the allegation saying the allegations were false.
8:40 AM
BJP candidate from Kolkata North casts vote
BJP candidate from Kolkata North Rahul Sinha cast his vote at polling booth in West Bengal’s Jadavpur.
8:30 AM
Cricketer Harbhajan Singh queues up to vote.
Cricketer Harbhajan Singh waits in queue to cast his vote at a polling booth in Jalandhar’s Garhi village.
Picture: Jalandhar, TOI.
8:15 AM
BJP leader Sushil Modi casts his vote
Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi casts his vote at booth number 49 in Patna.
8:00 AM
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar casts his vote
Bihar chief minister and JD(U) Chief Nitish Kumar cast his vote at polling booth number 326 at a school in Raj Bhawan, in Bihar’s Patna.
“Elections should not be held over such a long duration, there was a long gap between each phase of voting. I will write to leaders of all parties to build a consensus on this”, he said after casting vote.
Picture: Patna, ANI.
7:40 AM
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath casts his vote
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath cast his vote at polling booth no. 246 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. He was accompanied by Bhojpuri actor and BJP candidate Ravi Kishan.
“I’m glad about the enthusiasm with which the voters have participated in the electoral process. The entire election circled around PM Modi,” said UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath after casting his vote.
Picture: Gorakhpur, ANI
7:30 AM
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offers preayers at a Gorakhnath temple
Picture: Gorakhpur, ANI.
7:15 AM
People have started queuing up to cast their votes
Picture: South Kolkata, ANI.
7:00 AM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets,”Today is the final phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. I urge all those voting in this phase to vote in record numbers. Your one vote will shape India’s development trajectory in the years to come. I also hope first-time voters vote enthusiastically”.
Today is the final phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. I urge all those voting in this phase to vote in record numbers. Your one vote will shape India’s development trajectory in the years to come. I also hope first time voters vote enthusiastically.
— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 19, 2019
6:45 AM
Voting for 7th and the last phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will begin at 7 am
6:30 AM
Voting to begin shortly on 59 constituencies in the last phase.
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