M A I N   N E W S

Fate of Modi, Rajnath, Advani, Sonia sealed

The whole of Gujarat with 26 seats and Punjab with 13 seats were among the constituencies that went to the polls today. While Punjab and Andhra Pradesh recorded turnout of 70 per cent, the day's second highest after 81.35 per cent in nine seats in West Bengal, Gujarat witnessed a 62 per cent turnout, a quantum jump from 47.92 percent in the last Lok Sabha polls. In Gujarat, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and party veteran L K Advani were among the early voters in Gandhinagar. Vadodara constituency in Gujarat, where Modi is contesting LS poll for the first time, saw a turnout of 70 per cent. He is pitted against Madhusudan Mistry of the Congress.

Voters queue up at a polling station in Singur, 45 km north of Kolkata, on Wednesday. AFP

In Punjab, clashes erupted between Akali Dal and Congress workers in Moga, Khadoor Sahib and Amritsar, leaving 15 people injured. Among the riveting contests in the state is that between BJP's Arun Jaitley, also making his debut in the Lok Sabha poll, and senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh in Amritsar. Ambika Soni, who too is contesting her first national election, is in the fray from Anandpur Sahib.

In Andhra Pradesh, nine of the 10 districts that constitute the Telangana region recorded brisk voting. An estimated 70 per cent voters exercised their franchise to elect its 119 representatives to the proposed state's first Assembly and 17 representatives to Lok Sabha. UP saw a turnout of 57.10% in 14 seats where the SP, BSP, Congress and the BJP are locked in poll battle.