NEW DELHI: Moderate polling was recorded in 117 seats spread across 11 states that went to polls on Thursday. 

Nearly 40 per cent of the electorate cast their vote in the first seven hours of polling in 117 constituencies in 11 states and Union Territory of Puducherry amid stray incidents of violence which left a policeman dead in Assam and 13 others injured in other states.

The fate of 2076 candidates will be decided by 18 crore voters in the polls in which stakes are high for Congress, BJP and a number of other parties like AIADMK, DMK, NCP and Shiv Sena.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sushma Swaraj, Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja, Salman Khurshid and Shahnawaz Hussain

In all, elections to 349 of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be completed in today’s exercise in the nine-phased poll. Polling for the remaining 194 seats will be held on April 30 (89 seats), May 7 (64) and May 12 (41).

Counting of votes will take place on May 16.

Polling was stopped at five polling booths in Assam after violence in Kokrajhar parliamentary seat left a policeman dead and one injured.

Officials said a Border Security Force (BSF) platoon deployed in village Balapra and Harbhanga for poll security duties opened fire to save election officials and police personnel after a group of 40 people tried to capture a booth.

Violence was also reported in Dausa in Rajasthan where a mob of 50 people tried to entered a polling booth in Satha, leading the ITBP to open 14 rounds of fire in the air.

Five persons, including four photojournalists, were injured in Dausa when irate villagers clashed with security forces.

The photojournalists were part of a media team covering the polling in Dausa constituency and were going to Satha village from Mahua town.

In Uttar Pradesh, over 36.62 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first six hours in 12 seats to decide the fate of 188 candidates.

Three persons were injured following a clash between RLD and BJP supporters in Daulatpur village in Mathura. Both sides opened fire and indulged in brickbatting, police said.

In Jharkhand, four Congress workers were injured in a clash with supporters of the Marxist Coordination Committee during polling in Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency.

An estimated 28.03 per cent polling was registered in the initial hours in four Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand.

An incident of stone pelting was also reported at a booth in Anantnag Parliamentary seat in south Kashmir, which had witnessed an attack on political workers recently.

Voter turnout was impressive in Tamil Nadu which witnessed about 40 per cent of the electorate exercising franchise till noon.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, MDMK founder Vaiko, Union Minister in the PMO V Narayanasamy seeking re-election in the Union Territory of Puducherry, Tamil actors Rajnikant and Kamal Haasan were among the early voters.

Expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri, Union Finance Finance Minister P Chidambaram, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin and Kanimozhi were other promiment personalities who exercised their right.

Maharashtra witnessed top corporate honchos and Bollywood celebrities making a beeline to cast their vote.

Nearly 15 per cent turnout was recorded in the first few hours in 19 seats across Maharashtra in the third and final phase of elections in the state.

In the financial capital Mumbai, captains of industry, including Adi Godrej and Anil Ambani, were among the early birds from India Inc to cast their votes.

Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Rekha, Vidya Balan, Sunny Deol, Sonam Kapoor added a dash of glamour to the voting process by casting their vote in different booths in Mumbai.

Over 34 per cent voter turnout was recorded in ten Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where voters will decide the fate of 118 candidates including Sumitra Mahajan and Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan.

An impressive voter turnout was recorded in West Bengal where nearly 51 per cent votes were cast till noon in six Parliamentary constituencies in the second phase of the five-phase election to decide the fate of 78 candidates.

While over 37 per cent voting was recorded till noon during final phase of polling in Assam’s six Lok Sabha seats, around 37 per cent polling was recorded till 1 PM in seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar.

In Rajasthan, an average 29 per cent voting was registered during the initial hours in five Parliamentary constituencies.

About 35 per cent of electorate cast their votes in the first three hours of polling in seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Chhattisgarh.

After starting out on a dull note, polling picked up in most parts of Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, but remained affected in Pulwama district.

Polling was briefly stopped at a polling station in Koil in Pulwama after some persons pelted stones on the booth, prompting police to fire warning shots. — Agencies

Varanasi: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi constituency, saying he had been called by “Mother Ganga” to contest from this holy city.

He filed the papers after conducting a road show in the city.

Among those who proposed his nomination were Madan Mohan Malaviya’s grandson Giridhar Malaviya, Padma Vibhushan awardee Chhandu Lal Mishra, boatman Virbhadra Nishad and Ashok, a member of the dominant weaver community.

Talking to reporters before filing his papers, Modi said he felt that “Mother Ganges” has called him to contest from this constituency,

”... Earlier I used to think that the BJP has sent me here, sometimes I felt that I am going to Kashi. But after coming here, I feel neither has anybody sent me nor have I come on my own. It is Mother Ganga who has called me.

“And the way a child feels when he is back in his mother’s lap, the same way I feel here,” said the Gujarat Chief Minister who is also contesting from Vadodara in his home State.

He vowed to make Kashi a spiritual capital of the world.

“God... give me strength, so that I can work for the city, for my poor weaver brothers...so that Kashi can become a spiritual capital of the world,” Modi said.

The BJP leader sought to project common links between his birthplace in Vadnagar in Gujarat and Varanasi, saying both were pilgrim centres for worshippers of Lord Shiva. — PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress demanded registration of an FIR against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for “flagrant violation” of the model code by telecasting his roadshow and filing of nomination in Varanasi in the 117 constituencies going to the polls on Thursday.

“We do not want just issuing of notice. We want action. FIR should be registered against all BJP leaders involved, including the candidate from Varanasi,” party spokesman and Union Minister Anand Sharma told reporters here.

Insisting that the telecast of Modi’s roadshow and his filing of nomination has “gravely violated” the model code, Sharma alleged that this was done as part of a “well-planned” scheme of BJP to influence the voters in the constituencies going to the polls on Thursday.

He said the law was very clear that there cannot be canvassing on the polling day.

Noting that the BJP programme was an elaborate affair and the telecast took place from 8 am till 3 pm, Sharma wondered as to “why the EC was not alert” and why the media was not told against telecasting it in the constituencies having polling on Thursday.

Claiming that the development was “without precedent”, he said what has happened was "unacceptable".

Sharma downplayed a question when pointed out that there was polling in Tripura when Rahul Gandhi had filed his nomination in Amethi which was shown live all over the country. He said that on Thursday, the constituencies involved were 117, the second largest number of seats having polling in a single day in the nine-phase elections.

“We expect the EC to take appropriate action. It is a very flagrant violation of the Represention of People Act,” he said in reply to a question.

“We will wait for the response of the EC,” Sharma said when asked whether the party will demand a repoll in all the 117 constituencies.

Asked whether the Congress planned to approach the President on the issue, he merely said, “Let us take one step at a time.”

The 117 constituencies cover 11 states and the Union Territory of Puducherry in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha election. The fate of 2076 candidates will be decided by 18 crore voters in the polls in which the stakes are high for the Congress, BJP and number of other parties like AIADMK, DMK, NCP and Shiv Sena. — PTI

Guwahati: "I don't think there is any Modi wave. It is the creation of the media. The country has not been swept by any Modi wave," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters after voting at a polling booth in Dispur Government Higher Secondary School along with his wife Gursharan Kaur.

To a question, Singh said, "I don't think Congress is losing ground. Wait for the results on May 16. We will win a majority."

He also urged all citizens to participate in the democratic process and cast their vote.

Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here in a special IAF aircraft from Delhi and then flew in an IAF helicopter to Khanapara where he was received by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita.

Singh and his wife drove to the voting centre where they cast their votes and left for the airport to return to Delhi.

The Prime Minister has been representing Assam in the Rajya Sabha since 1991, and his local address is a rented apartment in the house owned by former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia's widow Hemoprava Saikia in Sarumotoria area of the city. — PTI