Lok Sabha polls, Phase 3: As it happened

Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar

Live Updates:

9:30 pm: Delhi registered its highest voter turnout in over three decades at 64.77 percent in a largely triangular contest for its seven parliamentary seats. Balloting was peaceful with no "untoward incident" reported.



9:24 pm: Uttar Pradesh`s Ghaziabad district witnessed 60 percent voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls, as fate of former Army chief VK Singh, Congress` Raj Babbar and Shazia Ilmi of AAP was sealed in electronic voting machines.

Read: Ghaziabad witnesses record voter turnout at 60 percent

9:16 pm: Setting a new record of balloting, the 10 seats of western Uttar Pradesh saw an almost 65 percent turnout or 1.12 crore people voting and the number is likely to go up, officials said.

9:15 pm: BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, on microblogging website Twitter, thanked people for casting their ballots.

High voter turnout in today's polls is very encouraging. I congratulate & thank people. Hope the positive trend continues in later phases.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2014

Read: Narendra Modi finds high voter turn-out `very encouraging`

8:59 pm: High voter turnout was recorded in the 91 constituencies in 14 states and Union Territories which went to polls in the third and substantial phase of Lok Sabha elections, with Chandigarh witnessing the highest percentage of 74.

8:30 pm: The turnout in Jammu Lok Sabha seat was 68 percent, but the figure is likely to rise as final reports from far-flung areas of the constituency are still awaited, an election official said.

8:08 pm: About 67 percent of the electorate cast their ballot in simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assembly in Odisha, officials said. Polling was held for 10 Lok Sabha and 70 Assembly seats.

7:26 pm: 65 percent polling has been recorded in Uttar Pradesh (67.78 percent voting in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar and 70.85 percent in Shamli) and 66.29 percent in Jammu, said Election Commission. Madhya Pradesh sees 55.98 percent voter turnout and Maharashtra 54.13 percent, said the EC.

7:25 pm: Barring stray incidents, polling remained peaceful in 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana which witnessed healthy voter turnout of over 73 percent today and Union Territory Chandigarh created a record of highest ever poll percentage of nearly 72 percent.

7:22 pm: Despite a Maoist call for boycott of the Lok Sabha election, Jharkhand witnessed moderate turnout of 58.03 percent in the first phase of polling. No untoward incident was reported during the polling that began at 7 am and concluded at 4 pm as scheduled.

7:20 pm: Over 60 percent polling was recorded in 10 constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, including riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, so far.

7:13 pm: About 56 percent voting was reported in the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra till 5 pm today, Election Commission sources said.

7:02 pm: Up to 71.36 percent of the electorate voted in Lakshadweep in peaceful polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat.

7:00 pm: About 74 percent of 2.43 crore voters exercised their franchise to elect 20 Lok Sabha members from Kerala. According to figures put out by the Election Commission shortly before the polling ended, 73.2 percent of voters turned up in 21,424 polling stations across the state.

6:56 pm: The Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency registered 59.8 percent turnout of voters as polling ended at 6 pm.

6:51 pm: Around 64 percent polling reported in Delhi. It may go up as voting continued beyond 6 PM in some areas across the city, said Election Commission.

6:30 pm: The voter turnout fell below expectation in all the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra which went to polls today. Bhandara-Gondiya constituency recorded the highest turnout 53 percent till 3 pm, a state election commission official said. The biggest constituency in terms of voters, Nagpur recorded only 48 percent voting till 3 pm, while Akola constituency notched the lowest at 39 percent. Only 40 percent of the voters turned out in Yavatmal-Washim constituency.

6:26 pm: About five million people voted in nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in largely peaceful polling. An Election Commission official said the state recorded a voter turnout of 46.55 percent by 4.30 pm.

6:24 pm: A low voter turnout of 47 percent was recorded in the insurgency-hit Bastar parliamentary seat of Chhattisgarh today, amid violence by Naxals, who had called for poll boycott, leaving a police personnel injured.

6:16 pm: Nearly 76 percent polling was recorded in six booths of three Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam where repolling was ordered due to EVM malfunctioning. Jorhat registered 74 percent turnout, Dibrugarh 74.8 percent and Tezpur 74.6 percent with the voters peacefully exercising their franchise, Election office sources said.

6:15 pm: Polling was suspended for a while in a booth in Azad Nagar area of Hisar parliamentary constituency after supporters of INLD and HJC clashed, leaving at least eight persons including HJC candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi injured.

6:01 pm: A total of 50.36 percent votes were cast till 4 pm in six parliamentary constituencies in Bihar. The Election Commission in a statement said that Sasaram (SC) seat registered 54 percent polling, while neighbouring Karakat recorded 51 percent.

5:32 pm: With polling having picked up for the 10 Lok Sabha and 70 Assembly seats in the first phase of voting in Odisha, 58 percent of the electorate cast their ballots till 4 pm, an official said.

5:30 pm: Delhi recorded poll percentage of 60.1 till 5 pm for the Lok Sabha elections, surpassing the 2009 polling percentage and setting stage for a record polling in the national capital. The city is witnessing a high voltage three-cornered contest for its seven seats. 5:26 pm: Over 53 percent of the 17.63 lakh voters turned out to vote till 3 PM at the booths of Jammu Lok Sabha constituency, which witnessed boycott of voting in four polling stations and also sporadic clashes in which at least four political party workers were injured. Poll office figures indicated that Chhamb Assembly segment topped the voting with a 73 percent turnout, followed by Akhnoor and Marh, both recording 71 percent balloting.

5:25 pm: A high voter turnout of over 60 percent was recorded in the Maoist-hit Gadchiroli Lok Sabha constituency, where people defied the Naxals` call for boycott of polling. A group of Naxals opened fire on a polling party at Jambia Gatta in south Gadchiroli while it was returning to the district headquarters.

No one was hurt and the party returned safe, Inspector General of Police, Nagpur range, Ravinda Kadam told PTI. The polling time was curtailed due to security reasons. The polling began in the Naxal hotbed at 7 AM and ended at 3 PM.

5:20 pm: An impressive 49 percent voter turnout was recorded till 3 PM in high-profile Ghaziabad constituency where 22.64 lakh eligible electorates are exercising their franchise.

5:19 pm: Over 69 percent of Meghalaya`s 15.67 lakh-strong electorate cast their votes for the two Lok Sabha seats in the mountainous northeastern state, an election official said. "The final figure of voting in Shillong and Tura constituencies was 69.03 percent," state chief electoral officer Prashant Naik told IANS.

5:16 pm: Between 55 and 60 percent of the voters from four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand cast their votes. "According to the initial reports, the overall voting percentage was between 55 and 60 percent. The Koderma constituency witnessed more than 60 percent voting. The voting percentage is a little higher than 50 percent in Lohardaga constituency," an Election Commission official told IANS.

Voting began in Koderma, Lohardaga, Palamu and Chatra constituencies at 7 am and concluded at 4 pm as scheduled.

4:52 pm: About 60 percent of Haryana`s nearly 1.60 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 4 pm for the 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state. In Chandigarh, too, nearly 60 percent of the 6.13 lakh eligible voters cast their ballot.

In Haryana, Kurukshetra (65 percent), Sirsa (64 percent) and Hisar (63 percent) recorded the highest polling till 4 pm.

4:25 pm: Nearly half of the electorate in six Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar cast their ballot even as two troopers headed for poll duty were killed in a landmine blast. "About 45 percent of the electorate has voted. The polling was slow in the early hours, but picked up later. The final figure of vote percentage will come after the end of polling," Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshaman said.

4:10 pm: Hundreds of riots victims were among those who cast their votes amid tight security in Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency where 50 percent polling was recorded till 2 PM with no untoward incident.

3:59 pm: Up to 38.4 percent polling took place in Chandigarh till 3:30 pm for the lone Lok Sabha seat.

3:55 pm: Up to 56.3 percent of Haryana`s nearly 1.61 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 3:30 pm for the 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state.

3:53 pm: About 50 percent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 3 PM in four Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand where Maoists exploded a series of landmines before voting began. Polling was on in Palamau (SC), Chatra, Koderma and Lohardaga (ST) seats.

3:40 pm: Brisk polling was reported across the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, with 57.3% of the electorate casting their ballots till 3 pm.

3:36 pm: A quarter of the electorate in Chhattisgarh`s Bastar Lok Sabha constituency cast their ballots by afternoon as polling got delayed in at least 11 places as officials failed to reach there. A Chhattisgarh state Election Commission official said that till 10 am, 18-20 percent votes were cast. By afternoon, the numbers went up to 27-28 percent. Polling was largely peaceful.

3:35 pm: With less than three hours left for the end of polling hours, Delhi is coming out in strength to vote. 52% voting has been recorded till 3 pm.

3:10 pm: Amid reports of poll boycott at few polling stations due to various reasons including non-payment of wages under MNREGA, 36.81% voters exercised their right to franchise in nine Lok Sabha seats under first phase of polling till 2 pm in Madhya Pradesh.

2:40 pm Odisha witnesses 45% voter turnout till 1:45 pm. Assembly elections are being simultaneously held in the state where BJD`s Naveen Patnaik is hoping for a fourth consecutive term.

1:25 pm: Brisk polling is being reported in Delhi with 40% of the electorate casting their vote by 1 pm. Neighbouring Haryana had a slow start with only 31% voting recorded by 12.30 pm; high-profile Gurgaon did marginally better than the state average with 32% voting till 1 pm.

1:00 pm:Moderate to high turnout was recorded in first four hours of voting in Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and 70 Assembly constituencies in Odisha.

While a high 30% polling was registered in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, between 15 and 20% was recorded in Odisha, 15% in Bihar and 14% in Jharkhand. 12:50 pm: Brisk polling has been reported across the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, with over 21 percent of the electorate casting their ballots within three hours. 12:40 pm: Almost 13 percent of the electorate have voted in the first two hours in the lone Lok Sabha constituency in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said. 12:20 pm: Congress president Sonia Gandhi`s daughter Priyanka Vadra Thursday cast her vote at Lodhi Estate polling station. Speaking to reporters later, she denied there was any Modi wave in the country.

12:05 pm: Former Mumbai police commissioner and BJP candidate from Baghpat Satyapal Singh has accused RLD workers of attacking his convoy. RLD chief Ajit Singh is opponent in the sensitive constituency.

11:40 am 25% voting in Delhi till 11 am. The city state`s 7 seats are witnessing a three-cornered fight between the BJP, Congress and AAP. Union ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath, BJP`s Harshvardhan and Meenakshi Lekhi, AAP`s Manish Sisodia were among early voters.

11:30 am 27.28% voting in tense but calm Muzaffarnagar; 15% in Jammu

11.15 am: 16% voting in four seats of Bihar

11:33 am: 24% voting in GB Nagar (Noida) by 11 am, 22% in Ghaziabad where VK Singh of the BJP is fighting Raj Babbar of the Congress and AAP`s Shaiza Illmi

11:10 am Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath hoped that voting percentage will keep improving with every round of the Lok Sabha election.

"We hope for better voter participation in every phase," he told journalists here.

He said Thursday`s voting in 14 states was "critical ... because some of the sensitive areas in the country are going to the polls".

He added: "People have always come forward to discharge their democratic duties. We have every hope this time too they will do so, and give us free and fair polls."

11 am: There is no Modi wave, says Congress candidate from Ghaziabad, Raj Babbar

10:50 am Slow start to voting in Maharashtra, 7.5% in first two hours

10:30 am: Kerala records 16% voting in first two hours. 9:45 am 10.1% voter turnout in Delhi till 9 am

9:40 am: Congress president Sonia Gandhi casts vote Read: Elections 2014: Sonia Gandhi casts her vote

9:20 am: Bomb squad defuses explosive device planted near polling booth in Chatra, Jharkhand.

9:15 am: Defence Minister AK Antony casts his vote in Thiruvananthapuram.

9 am: Voting stopped in Jamui 8:40 am: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat casts his vite in Nagpur, says “I don`t know about Modi wave.” Read: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat among first few to cast vote 8:35 am: BJP prime ministerial candidate urges people to vote

All those voting today in 91 Lok Sabha seats, 70 seats for Odisha Vidhan Sabha & by-election in Maharashtra should vote in record numbers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2014

Read: Vote in record numbers: Narendra Modi`s appeal to voters

7:05 am: Two CRPF jawans killed in a Maoists attack in Bihar as polling begins the Naxal affected regions of the state Read: Two CRPF jawans killed in blasts in Bihar`s Jamui Lok Sabha constituency

7 am: 11 crore voters in 92 seats spread across 11 states, including Delhi and the national capital region and the riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, will vote today in the third phase of Lok Sabha polls

The third round is the first substantial round of polling in the nine-phased elections which began on April 7 and will conclude on May 12. Key constituencies:

Ghaziabad: VK Singh (BJP), Shazia Illmi (AAP), Raj Babbar (Congress)

New Delhi: Ajay Maken (Congress), Ashish Khetan (AAP), Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP)

Chandni Chowk: Kapil Sibal (Congress), Harsh Vardhan, Ashutosh

Chandigarh: Pawan Kumar Bansal, Kirron Kher, Gul Panag

Meerut: Nagma (Congress)

Baghpat: Ajit Singh (RLD), Satyapal Singh (BJP) Muzaffarnanagr: Sanjeev Baliyan (BJP), Kadir Rana (BSP)

Gurgaon: Rao Inderjit Singh (BJP), Yogendra Yadav (AAP)

Rohtak: Deepender Hooda (Congress), Om Prakash Dhankar (BJP), Naveen Jaihind (AAP), Shamsher Singh Kharkara (INLD)

Chindwara: Kamal Nath (Congress)

Jamui: Chirag Paswan (LJP), Uday Narayan Chaudhary (JD(U)), Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar (RJD)

Sasaram: Meira Kumar. Kumar (Congress), Cheddi Paswan (BJP)

Aurangabad: Nikhil Kumar (Congress), Baagi Kumar Verma (JD(U)), Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP)

Thiruvananthapuram: Shashi Tharoor (Congress), O Rajagopal (BJP)

State-wise updates

Delhi (7 seats) Read: Delhi sees 64.77 percent turnout in triangular contest

Haryana (10) Read: Over 73 pc cast vote in Haryana; Chandigarh creates record

Kerala (20) Read: Lok Sabha polls: 74 percent turnout in Kerala

Uttar Pradesh (10) Read: Lok Sabha elections: Over 60 percent polling in UP

Bihar (6) Read: 53 percent voting in Bihar, two CRPF men die in blast

Odisha (10)

Read: Odisha holds simultaneous LS, Assembly polls; 67% turnout recorded

Maharashtra (10) Read: 62.3 percent voting in 10 LS constituencies in Maharashtra

Jharkhand (4) Read: Jharkhand witnesses 58.03 percent polling

Madhya Pradesh (9) Read: About five million people vote in Madhya Pradesh

Chhattisgarh (1)

Read: 52 pc voting in Bastar, policeman injured in blast

Chandigarh Read: Kirron Kher, Pawan Kumar Bansal cast votes in Chandigarh

Andaman and Nicobar Island Read: LS polls: Andaman witness 70 percent turnout

Lakshadweep Read: Nearly 71 percent voting in Lakshadweep

Jammu and Kashmir (1) Read: 68 percent turnout in Jammu Lok Sabha poll

Meghalaya (2) Read: Over 69 percent turnout in Meghalaya