New
Delhi: Voting for the selection of representatives for
83 Lok Sabha seats across seven states in the third phase
of the general election began at 7 a m this morning amidst
tight security. An estimated 10.72 crore people were to
cast their votes for 921 aspirants. The third phase of polling
covered 30 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 25 seats in
Rajasthan, 12 out of 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh,
the last 12 of 40 seats in Bihar, one each in J&K and Nagaland
and two in Arunachal Pradesh. As many as 108,583 polling
stations were set up for the day's polling.
In
Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who
is seeking a fifth straight term in Lucknow, cast his vote.
He is being opposed by 31other candidates, including former
Law Minister and close friend Ram Jethmalani, who is contesting
as an Independent. Besides Vajpayee, other big names whose
electoral fate will be decided are Dr Murli Manohar Joshi
from Allahabad and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
from Mainpuri.
In Rajasthan, film star Dharmendra is BJP's candidate from
Bikaner. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar is contesting
from Churu. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundra Raje's son
Dushyant is marking his political debut from Jhalawar, while
in Dausa, Sachin Pilot, the son of the late Congress leader
Rajesh Pilot, is contesting against the BJP's Kartar Singh
Bhadana. Finance Minister Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra
Singh is contesting from Barmer.
In Bihar, a red alert was sounded as polling got underway
in 12 out of the state's 40 seats - 28 seats have already
voted. Former chief minister and RJD chief Laloo Prasad
Yadav is up against the JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav in Madhepura.
The two Yadav chieftains are battling it out for the third
time in a row. Bihar's Opposition leader Sushil Kumar Modi
is contesting from Bhagalpur while the state's former police
chief DP Ojha is contesting from Begusarai as an Independent.
Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain is seeking re-election
from the Kishanganj seat, where Muslims form 66 per cent
of the electorate.
In
Madhya Pradesh, people will cast their votes in 12 out of
the state's 29 seats. Five-time MP Kamal Nath will face
off against the BJPs' Prahlad Patel in Chhindwara, where
at least 15 people were injured in a pre-poll clash between
BJP and Congress supporters on Tuesday. An estimated 1.51
crore electorate were to exercise their franchise through
electronic voting machines to decide the fate of 139 candidates.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made particularly
in Naxal-infested Balaghat and Mandla districts and areas
bordering Uttar Pradesh. Special measures were also been
made to ensure peaceful voting in 5035 polling stations.
The borders of the 11 districts that share their boundaries
with other states have been sealed. A total of 14,000 security
personnel, including Homeguard jawans and Special Armed
Forces, have been brought in for poll duty from Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the People's Democratic Party president,
Mehbooba Mufti, is contesting from Anantnag. Mufti is up
against Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the CPM and Mehboob
Baig of the National Conference. Security forces in this
politically sensitive constituency have been placed on a
state of high alert in anticipation of possible terrorist
strikes. Anantnag is a Hizbul Mujaheedin stronghold and
the most sensitive region of south Kashmir. The Election
Commission has asked for some of the heaviest security to
ensure voters can vote peacefully in almost all of the over
1,000 polling booths that have either been declared sensitive
or hypersensitive. At least 150 companies of police and
security forces have been posted across the region. The
voting process concluded at 5 p.m.
The
fifth and final phase of polling on May 10 will involve
183 seats. The counting for all the Lok sabha seats will
be done on May 13.
50-55
per cent turnout in third phase; 3 killed in violence (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: An estimated 50 to 55 per cent of the 107.2 million
electorate voted in the third phase of the general elections
to 83 seats in seven states on Wednesday. The polls were
marred by militant violence in Kashmir and sporadic clashes
between rival groups in Bihar. Three people lost their lives
and several others were injured. While Nagaland recorded
the highest turnout of 75 to 80 per cent, the lowest was
in the sensitive district of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir,
which recorded 16 percent, marginally higher than the 14.32
in 1999. The turnout in Rajasthan was 52 to 55 per cent,
in Madhaya Pradesh 50 to 55 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 50,
Bihar 45 to 50 and Arunachal Pradesh 37, the Election Commission
said, adding that by and large the polling was peaceful
barring stray incidents of violence.
Exit
polls emerging after the conclusion of today's polls suggested
that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) was well on its way to securing a majority
in the 14th Lower House of the Indian Parliament. An exit
poll conducted by Star News predicted 272-280 seats for
the BJP-led NDA, while the Congress and its allies are expected
to win 167-179 seats. The exit poll said the BJP would win
15 of the 30 UP seats that went to polls on Wednesday. An
Aaj Tak exit poll said that after the third phase of polling
the NDA tally is 195, Congress 115 and others 51. It said
that the NDA would secure at least 268 seats as opposed
to the 175 by the Congress and its allies, while the Independents
and others would secure about 100.
In
the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is leading with
14 seats, but the Congress has shown signs of revival by
netting four seats. The Samajwadi Party is expected to win
seven seat, while the BSP five. In Bihar, contrary to claims
of Laloo Prasad Yadav, the NDA is set to win 24 (according
to Star News) of the 40 seats. The Congress performance
in Madhya Pradesh was even worse than expected with the
exit polls giving it only two seats to the BJP's 10. The
NDA, which was rattled by the exit poll results after the
second phase of voting on April 26, appears to have made
solid gains in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Requiring 272 for a simple majority, the NDA was projected
to get 270-282 by Star News, 268 by Aaj Tak and 263 by Sahara
News in the 545-member Lower House which has two nominated
members from the Anglo-Indian community. Star News gave
167-179 seats to the Congress and its allies, while Aaj
Tak predicted 175 and Sahara News 181 for the combine. Others
are expected to get 87-99 seats (Star), 100 (Aaj Tak) and
99 (Sahara). The penultimate round of polls will decide
the electoral fate of Vajpayee, UP Chief Minister Mulayam
Singh Yadav, Union Ministers Murli Manohar Joshi, Shahnawaz
Hussain, Digvijay Singh, Prahlad Patel and Congress veteran
Kamal Nath, Sharad Yadav and RJD chief Laloo Yadav.
Vajpayee casts vote, confident of coming
back to power (Go
To Top)
Lucknow:
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is contesting
from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency, cast his vote
here today at 9 a.m. amid a huge presence of media persons.
Later he posed for the TV crew showing his left forefinger
bearing the ink mark. Before going in for his vote, he told
reporters that he was confident about the BJP-led NDA returning
to power after the polls. He also brushed aside reports
that the NDA was not united and that there was scope for
its disintegration after the elections conclude on May 13.
NDA will fall apart: Mulayam (Go
To Top)
Lucknow:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav who cast his vote in his village Saffai
falling under Mainpuri parliamentary constituency, told
reporters today that his party would be playing a key role
in government formation at the Centre after the polls. Asserting
that the next government would be led by the Third Front,
he indirectly suggested that he would not lend support to
the BJP. "We will work towards uprooting the communal forces",
he told the media persons.
He
said that both the BJP and Congress were on the decline
and his party was making ground all over UP. He said that
his party's tally in the Lok Sabha would improve from the
present strength. Claiming that some of the NDA allies were
in contact with him, he said, "the NDA is likely to fall
apart after this election." Other important leaders who
are in the fray in the third phase of the ongoing general
elections are Bihar strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav and Sharad
Yadav from Madhepura, Murli Manohar Joshi from Allahabad,
and Akhilesh Yadav from Kannauj.
One
killed, three injured in Anantnag grenade attacks (Go
To Top)
Anantnag/New
Delhi: Militants launched a grenade attack at three
polling stations at Hugam and Badasgam villages in the sensitive
constituency of Anantnag this morning, killing one person
and injuring three others. Television clips from the scene
showed armed central and local paramilitaries running in
different directions and along empty streets in a bid to
cordon off possible escape routes and engage the militants
in an encounter. Official sources later said that the attackers
had lobbed the grenade at the Government Women's College
at the Anantnag district headquarters at around 11 a.m.
Kashmiris brave militants' threat against
voting (Go
To Top)
Srinagar:
The Kashmiris braved militant and separatist threats
to vote for national polls on Wednesday. Hundreds came out
to vote in Anantnag, the only Kashmiri constituency among
the 83 seats voting across seven states. Voters said they
came out to vote to choose a representative who could work
for their development. "Nobody forced us to come here, we
have come of our own will to choose our representative who
can work for us and can solve our problems," said Rashid
Ahmed. Mahmood Khan, another voter said: "We are hopeful
that for whom we have cast our vote, they will try and resolve
our problems of the constituency."
Meanwhile, shops and business establishments were shut in
Srinagar as separatists called for a boycott of national
polls. At least nine people were injured overnight when
separatists attacked several heavily fortified voting stations
across Anantnag. State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
was among those who cast their votes in Anantnag. He welcomed
the Election Commission's order asking authorities to register
a case against his daughter Mehbooba for intimidating voters.
"I am happy that law has been implemented and it should
take its own course. A case has been registered against
her, which will be sorted out. But the National Conference
has said they will boycott the polls if nothing is done.
It shows that they do not have any issue to fall back upon,"
said Sayeed.
