57% polling in Ph IV
5 killed in violence in West Bengal, Rajasthan
New Delhi, May 7
An estimated 57 per cent of the voters today cast ballots in the fourth and penultimate round of polling in the general elections, amid claims by both the Congress and the BJP that they would emerge as the single largest group in what is widely expected to be a hung Lok Sabha.

Heavy turnout in Malwa
Majithia under EC scanner for ‘firing in air’
Chandigarh, May 7
Paramilitary forces coupled with the will of Punjabis to cast their votes fearlessly won the day for Punjab with elections to the four parliamentary constituencies of Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda and Ferozepur recording a poll percentage of 68 per cent even as sporadic incidents of violence left more than 20 persons injured.

Women stand in a queue to cast their vote outside a polling booth in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

A relaxed Malwa seals fate of its MPs
Chandigarh, May 7
It was more of a holiday than a polling day for the Malwais as they chose forenoon and late afternoon to exercise their franchise to seal the fate of 70-odd contestants for four Lok Sabha seats from their region.

64 pc vote in Haryana
Chandigarh, May 7
Haryana broke the trend of low polling witnessed during the first three phases of General Election this year in certain states when it reported about 64 per cent voter turnout for the 10 Lok Sabha seats today.

No voting despite I-cards
Chandigarh, May 7
A large number of voters across the state complained that they could not vote despite possessing voter identity cards. They reached the polling booths but returned disappointed when they found that their names had been struck off from the electoral rolls.

Low polling in Srinagar
Srinagar, May 7
While situation remained overall peaceful and incident free, the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency recorded about 24 per cent of polling in the fourth phase today amid bandh in the Kashmir valley on the call of separatists.

Dismiss Maya govt, have my support: Mulayam
New Delhi, May 7
Faced with a piquant situation after Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh made it clear that he would only support the party that promised to dismiss Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's “unconstitutional” government in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party on Thursday tried to play safe on the issue.

Challenges remain: Hillary
Persuading Pakistan about the urgency to shift focus to the real problem of Taliban
President Barack Obama's administration appears to have made little headway in persuading the Pakistani government about the urgency to shift focus away from a perceived threat from India toward a more real problem of the Taliban.

Editorial: Obama to Zardari

‘Decisive’ offensive against Taliban 14 militants, including a son of a hardline cleric, killed Islamabad, May 7 Pakistan tonight announced a fresh "decisive" military offensive against the Taliban and pressed ahead with air and ground operation in northwestern tribal belt where fierce fighting killed nine soldiers and 14 militants, including a son of a hardline cleric who negotiated the Swat peace deal.