Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday, 6 May, alleged booth capturing in Amethi by Rahul Gandhi and asked Election Commission to take cognisance of the matter.
Irani retweeted a video in which a woman can be heard saying that she was forced to vote for Congress.
Till 11 am the voter turnout, in 51 constituencies polling in seven northern and eastern states, was recorded at 23.67 percent during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on 6 May.
Rajasthan saw 26.30 percent while Jharkhand saw 29.49 percent, MP saw 19.41 percent, and UP saw close to 21.28 percent. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed poor turnout of 3.95 percent.
In Pulwama, militants lobbed a grenade at a polling booth, news agency PTI reported.
Snapshot
- Polling is being held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 12 in Rajasthan, seven seats each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand and two seats in Jammu and Kashmir
- Poll-related violence has been reported in J&K’s Pulwama and WB’s Barrackpore
- The BJP had bagged 12 of the 14 seats in UP in 2014; Sonia Gandhi won in Raebareli for Congress and Rahul won Amethi
Ashutosh Rana Casts Vote in Madhya Pradesh's Gadarwara
(Photo: ANI)
Actor Ashutosh Rana cast his vote at polling booth number 105 in Gadarwara in Madhya Pradesh.
11:25 AM, 06 May
Lok Sabha Election 2019: Voter Turnout Till 11 am
11:09 AM, 06 May
In Photos: Rajnath, Mayawati, Jayant Sinha Cast Vote
Union Minister and BJP candidate for Hazaribagh, Jayant Sinha, shows his voter ID card as he waits in a queue to cast his vote.
(Photo: PTI)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati shows her finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station in Lucknow.
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh, shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station in Lucknow.
10:59 AM, 06 May
Locals in Uttar Pradesh's Banda Boycott Polls over Water Scarcity
Locals in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda have boycotted polls, citing water scarcity in their area. They allege that they have been promised water over the years but nothing has been done.
10:31 AM, 06 May
Bihar Lok Sabha 2019: Man Arrested on Charges of Vandalising EVM
One Ranjit Paswan has been arrested on charges of vandalising an EVM machine at polling booth number 131 in Chhapra, reported ANI.
10:29 AM, 06 May
Smriti Irani Alleges Booth Capturing in Amethi
Union Minister and BJP’s Amethi candidate Smriti Irani alleged booth capturing and asked Election Commission to take cognisance of the matter.
Irani retweeted a video in which a woman can be heard saying that she was forced to vote for Congress.
9:49 AM, 06 May
Voter Turnout in MP, Rajasthan, WB and J&K
(Photo: The Quint)
(Photo: The Quint)
(Photo: The Quint)
9:48 AM, 06 May
Voter Turnout in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP
(Photo: The Quint)
(Photo: The Quint)
(Photo: The Quint)
9:38 AM, 06 May
Priyanka Gandhi Takes My Name More Than Her Husband's: Smriti Irani
BJP’s Amethi candidate and Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday took a dig at Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
“She did not know my name 5 years back, now she keeps taking my name, such an accomplishment. Nowadays she takes her husband's name less and my name more,” news agency ANI reported her as saying.
9:24 AM, 06 May
Grenade Attack on Polling station in Pulwama
Militants on Monday lobbed a grenade at a polling station in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir where polling is underway for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, news agency PTI reported quoting police.
The grenade was lobbed towards Rohmoo polling station in Pulwama but there were no reports of any casualties in the the blast, a police official said. He said security forces have cordoned off the area.
Polling is being held in Pulwama and Shopian districts of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency which also includes Anantnag and Kulgam districts as well.
8:47 AM, 06 May
BJP Alleges TMC Intimidation in Barrackpore
BJP’s Barrackpore candidate has alleged that he was attacked by TMC and accused them of intimidating voters. "I was attacked by TMC goons who have been brought from outside. Those people were scaring away our voters. I am injured," he told news agency ANI.
According to local media reports, the Election Commission has reportedly asked for a report on the matter.
More details are awaited.
8:20 AM, 06 May
Mayawati Casts her Vote
BSP Chief Mayawati cast her vote at a polling booth in City Montessori Inter College in Lucknow in the fifth phase, reported news agency ANI.
8:06 AM, 06 May
Third Leg of Polling Underway in Anantnag
(Photo: ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag, which went to polls in three phases, is voting in its final leg today.
7:41 AM, 06 May
Home Minister Rajnath Singh Casts Vote in Lucknow
Lucknow BJP Candidate Rajnath Singh cast his vote in the fifth phase of polls.
7:40 AM, 06 May
EVM Glitch Stalls Voting in Howrah
Voting is yet to begin in booth numbers 289/291/292 in Howrah in West Bengal, after glitches in EVMs and VVPATs, reported news agency ANI.
More details awaited.
7:20 AM, 06 May
Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore Arrives to Vote
Singh Rathore and his wife Gayatri Rathore arrive at a polling station in Jaipur to cast their vote, reported news agency ANI.
7:08 AM, 06 May
PM Modi Urges People to Vote
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Monday urging people to vote in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls.
6:59 AM, 06 May
Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha Arrives at Hazaribagh
Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha arrives at Hazaribagh to cast his vote.
Yashwant Sinha stands in queue to cast his vote.(Photo: ANI)
6:55 AM, 06 May
Voters Outside Polling Station in Ayodhya
The voters have started to queue up outside a polling station in Ayodhya.
Voters outside polling station in Ayodhya.(Photo: ANI)
6:50 AM, 06 May
Visuals from Polling Booth in Lucknow
BJP candidate Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress’ Pramod Krishnam and SP-BSP-RLD candidate Poonam Sinha are fighting for the Lucknow constituency.
6:38 AM, 06 May
Visuals from Polling Booth in Amethi
Polling booth in Amethi, the seat which will witness a fight between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Smriti Irani, is all set for the day.
9:32 PM, 05 May
Madhya Pradesh to See Second Phase Polling
Polling for Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul seats, all held by the BJP currently, will take place Monday.
This will be the second phase of polling in Madhya Pradesh, the first phase having been held on 29 April.
Union minister Virendra Kumar Khatik is the BJP candidate from Tikamgarh while former Union minister and sitting MP Prahlad Patel is the party's Damoh candidate.
9:32 PM, 05 May
14 Seats in UP to Vote Today
Addressing rallies in Pratapgarh and Basti in Uttar Pradesh, PM Narendra Modi said the SP-BSP alliance partners will be at each other's throats when the results are out on 23 May. He also accused the Samajwadi Party of going soft on the Congress, saying the two parties are playing a "big game" against Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.
The BJP had bagged 12 of the 14 seats in 2014 with Sonia Gandhi winning in Raebareli and Rahul in Amethi.
The other UP seats going to the polls on 6 May are Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj (SC), Lucknow, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi (SC), Barabanki (SC), Faizabad, Bahraich (SC), Kaiserganj and Gonda.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is seeking re-election from Lucknow, while his colleague at the Centre, Irani, is again taking on Rahul in Amethi.
9:32 PM, 05 May
NDA vs Mahagathbandan in Bihar
In Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi canvassed in favour of the BJP candidates and also nominees fielded by alliance partners JD(U) and LJP.
He described the ruling NDA in the state as a cohesive three-in-one entity and the Opposition weak, loosely knit and helpless against menaces of black money, corruption and threats to national security.
BJP MPs Ajay Nishad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy are seeking re-election from their respective seats of Muzaffarpur and Saran respectively in Bihar. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who has announced that he would no longer contest direct elections, has fielded his younger brother and state minister Pashupati Kumar Paras from his pocket borough of Hajipur.
9:32 PM, 05 May
Cyclone Fani Mars Campaigning in West Bengal
Campaigning in West Bengal during the past couple of days was marred by panic over Cyclone Fani, which caused large scale destruction in neighbouring Odisha, with political parties cancelling their election meetings.
Seats in which elections will be held on Monday are Bongaon (SC), Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Serampore, Hooghly and Arambagh (SC) where an electorate of 1,16,91,889 will decide the fate of 83 candidates, the Election Commission said.
In West Bengal, the BJP candidate from Bongaon (SC) seat, Shantanu Thakur, was injured in a road accident. A police van lost control and hit Thakur's vehicle at the front when he was heading towards Kalyani to attend an election rally on the last day of campaigning, police said.
Thakur, his driver and two others who were in the vehicle, were injured, they said.
9:32 PM, 05 May
Phase 5 in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, J&K
Rajasthan also saw hectic campaigning by the BJP and the Congress over the past week for the 12 seats.
Union ministers Rathore (Jaipur rural) and Meghwal (Bikaner), Congress MLA and Olympian Krishna Poonia (Jaipur rural), Bhanwar Jitendra Singh (Alwar) are some of the contestants in this last phase of polling in the state.
In Jharkhand, among those in the fray is Union minister Jayant Sinha.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Pulwama and Shopian districts are going to polls on 6 May in the third leg of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. Polling will also be held in Ladakh on Monday.