Naxal violence mars Phase-I poll
Blasts & bullets take 18 lives in four states
New Delhi, April 16
The first phase of polling in 124 constituencies across 15 states and two union territories was completed today amidst coordinated attacks in six states by Naxals. A total of 18 persons, including five election officials and 11 security personnel, lost their lives in these attacks. Meanwhile, polls in the strife-torn north-east passed off peacefully and with a high polling percentage.

Editorial: Polls now, tie-ups later Cash for votes PEOPLE POWER: Voters wait for their turn to cast vote at a polling booth in Karong, Manipur, on Thursday. — PTI

EC: We failed to control illegal flow of money
New Delhi, April 16
The poll authority has been able to “substantially” check criminal elements entering the poll process but has failed to control illegal flow of money, Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said today. The Commission has been able to control substantially criminal elements through various measures being implemented from time to time, he said, as the first phase of polling for 124 Lok Sabha seats spread across 17 states and UTs began.

90 pc voting in Kandhamal refugee camps
Fearlessness, it seems, ultimately prevailed in Orissa’s sensitive Kandhamal Lok Sabha segment where locals ignored poll boycott calls by Naxals on Thursday. The constituency witnessed 55 per cent polling. Daringbadi and Kotgarh blocks of the district, where left-wing extremists had, a few days ago, issued grave threats to Hindus in case they voted, recorded a whopping 90 per cent polling.

Five poll officials killed in Chhattisgarh
Raipur, April 16
Five polling officials were killed in a landmine blast in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district and two CRPF personnel shot dead in the Naxal stronghold of Dantewada as the state went to polls for its 11 parliamentary seats today. A jeep carrying the zonal reserve polling team was blown up in the blast when they were proceeding to supervise poll-related work in Kamkasur village, CEO Sunil Kumar Kujur said.

49 pc polling in Jammu-Poonch
15 hurt in clashes in Mendhar
Jammu/Rajouri, April 16
Voters in villages along the international border outdid voters in urban, semi-urban and adjoining areas by polling more percentage for the Jammu-Poonch seat in the 15th Lok Sabha elections held here today. The Jammu-Poonch seat recorded 49 per cent polling, which was four per cent more than the last Lok Sabha elections.

False reply in HC costs Punjab IAS
officer dear
Chandigarh, April 16
A false reply filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a land acquisition matter has landed a Punjab IAS officer and several other revenue department officials in deep trouble. Justice Ranjit Singh not only directed the imposition of Rs 50,000 costs on senior IAS officer Karan Avtar Singh, but also ordered it to be reflected in the service record.

Case against Dhoni, Bhajji
Muzaffarpur, April 16
A criminal case was filed in a court here today accusing Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh of “hurting” fans by staying away from the Padma awards function. Dhoni and Bhajji were to be honoured with the Padma Shree by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Varun out on parole UP govt opposes SC move citing ’92 Ayodhya incident New Delhi, April 16 Nineteen days after his arrest on the charges of making inflammatory speeches, the Supreme Court today ordered the release of BJP’s Pilibhit nominee Varun Gandhi on parole for two weeks.