Arunachal: Rijiju, Khandu cast votes in native villages
Itanagar (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju cast their votes on Friday at their native villages as the polling for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 assembly constituencies is underway, officials said.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein also exercised his franchise in his village in the Chowkham assembly segment.
Rijiju cast his vote in his village Nafra in the newly created Bichom district, while Khandu exercised his franchise in the Mukto constituency in Tawang district, the officials said.
Khandu and Mein are among the ten BJP candidates who have been elected unopposed to the 60-member assembly.
“Arunachal Pradesh votes today to elect representatives for the eighth State Legislative Assembly and 18th Lok Sabha. I appeal to all eligible voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers.
"Let us overwhelmingly participate in this vibrant festival to enrich democracy. I also call upon the youth and first-time voters to take part in the elections, the chief minister posted on X.
Mein posted his photo on the social media platform after casting his vote and appealed to all voters to exercise their franchise.
“Cast my vote this morning at my home constituency, Chowkham. I appeal to each and every eligible voter to come forward and exercise your adult franchise and participate in the vibrant democratic process to elect your representatives for the 8th State Legislative Assembly and 18th Lok Sabha. I also request all the new voters to take part in the elections,” the deputy chief minister said on the microblogging site.
Incessant rain since morning could not dampen the spirit of the electorates in the northeastern state as queues were seen outside polling stations.
Elections are being held for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 assembly constituencies in the state.
An estimated 8,92,694 voters, including 4,54,256 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise and decide the electoral fate of 133 candidates in the assembly polls and 14 Lok Sabha poll contestants.
In the Arunachal West parliamentary seat, eight candidates, including Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju and state Congress president Nabam Tuki, are in the fray.
Sitting BJP MP Tapir Gao and state Congress vice president Bosiram Siram are among the six candidates who are contesting from the Arunachal East.
The state election authorities have made elaborate security arrangements to conduct peaceful polling.
Seventy companies of central armed police forces (CAPF), including India Reserve Battalion and state police personnel, have been deployed, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said.
Counting of votes for assembly elections will be held on June 2, while that of Lok Sabha polls is scheduled on June 4.
VIDEO | Union minister Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) casts his vote in his native village Nafra in #ArunachalPradesh. #LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 19, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/hBXxEwQPbS
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
