New Delhi: Google has released its special doodle, with an image of a finger with the mark of the indelible ink substituting for the search engine's iconic logo, to mark the commencement of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 2024 on Friday.

When clicked, the symbol of voting, which represents the Indian democratic electoral process, leads the user to the top stories related to Phase 1 of the general elections.

The first phase of the polling process began with voters in Tamil Nadu, which has 39 seats in the Lok Sabha, Uttarakhand (5 seats), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1) using their franchise on Friday.

In addition, voting was held for 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.

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Sakti (Chhattisgarh), Apr 14 (PTI): Four workers were killed and 15 others injured in an explosion at a power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district on Tuesday, police said, adding that some workers are feared trapped at the site.

According to preliminary information, the blast occurred in a boiler tube at the Vedanta Limited power plant in Singhitarai village in the afternoon, a senior police officer said.

"Four workers have died, and 15 others sustained injuries," said Prafull Thakur, Superintendent of Police, Sakti district.

Soon after receiving information, local administration and police teams rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.

The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, while rescue efforts are underway amid fears that some workers may still be trapped at the site, the officer added.