December 24, 2024 07:44 pm (IST)
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Over 60 percent polling in India 8th phase elections
New Delhi, May 7 (IBNS) More than 60 percent turnout was witnessed on Wednesday till 3 pm in the eighth phase of polling in India to elect a new Parliament in New Delhi with states like West Bengal witnessing a high 73 per cent balloting by that time, even as the spotlight in this segment is on Amethi, the high profile Uttar Pradesh constituency where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi faces a challenge from two notable rivals this time.
In this phase 64 parliamentary constituencies across seven states are going to the hustings. Voting is being held for 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, 7 in Bihar, 6 in West Bengal, 5 in Uttarakhand, 2 in Jammu and Kahsmir and 4 in Himachal Pradesh.
A total of 18.47 crore people are eligible to vote in this round.
Besides Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, other key candidates in this phase are Congress leaders Beni Prasad Verma, MM Pallam Raju and Mohd. Kaif and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Smriti Irani, Varun Gandhi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Anurag Thakur.
West Bengal, which witnessed stray violence too in areas like Asansol, witnessed a high voter turnout.
Besides police baton charge at Burnpur, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) alleged booth capturing in Bankura in the constituency of Basudeb Acharya.
CPI-M alleged booth capturing by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
West Bengal witnessed nearly 65 percent polling by 1 pm itself with places like Jhargram recording 65.48 percent till that time. The percentage shot up to 73 percent by 3 pm.
In Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, the turnout was 37 percent till 1 pm.
Pertinently, it is one of the most watched seats in this election where the contest is among Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, AAP's Kumar Vishwas and BJP's Smriti Irani.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Amethi, Kumar Vishwas, on Wednesday alleged that Congress activists tried to capture booths in the constituency.
"Amethi Vidhansabha Booth No 41, 42 repeated complaints of bogus voting in rounds since 3 hrs," tweeted Vishwas.
"Jagdishpur 4 booths 108, 109, 110, 111 captured by Md Israaq of Congress. Bogus voting in free flow.Will admin interfere fast enough?" he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.
He alleged Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Amethi RD Ram is not taking any action on the incidents.
In Jammu and Kashmir miscreants hurled a grenade at a polling booth at Baramulla district injuring a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, said reports.
The incident took place at Pahlan Pattan area while voting was underway.
Voting percentage in Saran constituency of Bihar was 26 per cent till noon. Here Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife Rabri Devi is contesting.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi wave will sweep Bihar this election.
"In Bihar, there is only Modi wave. I am confident that the BJP-LJP combine will win by a huge majority from here," said Paswan, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Hajipur constituency of Bihar.
"The entire Bihar is supporting the Modi-Paswan factor," he said.
Polling is also being held in 175 assembly constituencies in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh simultaneously on Wednesday.
As Seemandhra region, which is going to be the resized and truncated Andhra Pradesh from next month with the creation of Telangana, voted to elect for the parliament and the state assembly, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Jaganmohan Reddy said he would sweep the polls.
"... will make a clean sweep," said Reddy speaking to media.
Reddy's YSR Congress is pitted against Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP). TDP has forged an alliance with the BJP.
Reddy, who fought the Congress and the Gandhi family and was in jail over corruption charges, is hoping to cash in on the legacy of his father YSR who died in a helicopter crash in 2009.
Fortyone-year-old Reddy's wife Bharti and sister YS Sharmila were seen in queue for voting while he himself and his mother Y S Vijayamma, who is the party's honorary president, voted in Pulivendula in native Kadapa district.
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