2019 Elections: EC says 64% voter turnout recorded in fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls

India’s General Elections will take place in four more phases until May 19, and the results will be declared on May 23. For the full schedule click here, and to subscribe to our newsletter about the elections, click here.

The Election Commission said a voter turnout of 64% was recorded on Monday in the third phase of Lok Sabha polls. Voting was held in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states in this phase.

Meanwhile, the poll panel has ordered the BJP’s Begusarai candidate Giriraj Singh to explain within 24 hours his remark on April 24 that the country will never forgive those who do not chant Vande Mataram. The poll panel said Singh’s remark violated the Model Code of Conduct.

Clashes broke out in Asansol district of West Bengal on Monday as voting in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election was under way. The car of Union minister Babul Supriyo, the BJP candidate from Asansol, was vandalised outside a polling station. Violence was also reported from Birbhum district of West Bengal. The central forces allegedly fired in the air inside a booth in Dubrajpur after villagers attacked them.

Here’s all you need to know about the fourth phase of the elections.

10.50 pm: Here are the day’s top updates:

The Election Commission said it will decide on Tuesday on poll code complaints against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi said the party’s proposed minimum income guarantee scheme is meant be the “diesel for the engine” of the Indian economy.
BJP leader Babul Supriyo was booked for allegedly entering a booth and threatening a polling agent and an officer in Asansol in West Bengal. The police also filed an FIR against unidentified persons for breaking the glass of Supriyo’s car in Barabani area of Asansol.
The Election Commission ordered Union Minister and BJP’s Begusarai candidate Giriraj Singh to clarify his comment that the country will never forgive those who do not chant Vande Mataram. The poll panel said it has prime facie found Singh guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Narendra Modi claimed that 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him and were ready to desert their party once the BJP wins the Lok Sabha elections.
Trinamool Congress candidate from Asansol Moon Moon Sen claimed that she was unaware of poll violence in West Bengal because she woke up late, having received her bed tea late.
Rahul Gandhi filed a counter-affidavit in a contempt case filed by BJP parliamentarian Meenakshi Lekhi over his comments on the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Rafale deal.
The Trinamool Congress alleged that central forces in West Bengal were creating a “reign of terror”. “Central forces have created a reign of terror in minds of voters and have also urged the voters to cast their vote for BJP,” the party claimed in a letter to the poll panel.
Congress candidate from Bhopal Digvijaya Singh claimed that he did not coin the term “Hindu terror”. He alleged that the person who coined the phrase, former Union Home Secretary RK Singh, is now in the BJP and was inducted into the central cabinet.

10.27 pm: Voter turnout among Kashmiri refugees in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency was 64%, PTI reports quoting Assistant Returning Officer for Migrants, Pankaj Anand. “As many as 1,784 such voters cast their votes in the second phase, out of a total of 2,779 registered voters, after completing the required formalities,” he adds.

10.22 pm: Nationalist Congress Party leader Shankarsinh Vaghela claims that the BJP government in Gujarat will fall on May 23, when the results for the Lok Sabha elections are declared, PTI reports. He asserts that many BJP MLAs are in touch with him. “The BJP will lose power both at the Centre and in Gujarat on May 23,” he tells the agency.

However, BJP dismisses Vaghela’s claims, calling them baseless. “People of Gujarat have been listening to Vaghela’s false and baseless claims for many years now,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya says. “He is doing so to remain in the limelight.”

10.13 pm: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar attacks Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda at a rally in Rohtak, alleging that Hooda is “day dreaming” about becoming chief minister again, PTI reports.

In response, Hooda asks Khattar to uphold the dignity of his office. “The chief minister does not understand the value of people and relationships and does not have any respect for them,” he says.

10.03 pm: BJP’s East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir says though the constituency’s population saw a tenfold increase in the last four decades, successive state governments did nothing much for increasing higher education facilities in the country, PTI reports. At a rally in Ghaziabad, Gambhir says he will erect a “full-fledged campus full-fledged campus on the lines of Delhi University’s north campus” and upgrade the Yamuna Sports Complex if voted to power.

9.52 pm: The BJP claims that Navjot Singh Sidhu insulted the common people of India by saying that “one wrong vote can make your children chaiwala or chowkidar”, PTI reports. “The Congress party looks down on the people who sell tea, pakoras and those who work as chowkidars,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao says.

9.43 pm: BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi tells the Supreme Court that Rahul Gandhi has not tendered any apology or exhibited remorse in his explanation filed in court, on his remarks about the Rafale deal, PTI reports. Lekhi alleges that Gandhi has sought to justify the “contemptuous statements” made by him rather than submitting an unconditional apology to the court.

9.30 pm: The Election Commission says it will take a decision on the alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Tuesday.

The prime minister and BJP president are accused of making references to the armed forces for “political propaganda”, which has been banned by the Election Commission. Modi also held a rally after casting his vote in Gujarat on April 23, which was a violation of the code. Gandhi is facing a complaint for his “chowkidar chor hai” slogan.

9.18 pm: The BJP has asked Election Commission officials to censure Arvind Kejriwal and East Delhi AAP candidate Atishi for allegedly making derogatory statements against the saffron party, and for asking voters to take money from BJP and Congress but vote for them, PTI reports.

9.09 pm: Unidentified individuals threw stones at the car of Ratan Dewasi, the Congress’ candidate for Jalore Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan, PTI reports. Three youths of the Kalbi community and BJP supporters pelted stones at Dewasi’s car, Jalore Samajwadi Party Keshar Singh said.

9 pm: Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan attacks Opposition parties for targeting Narendra Modi over his caste, PTI reports. “Who is backward from his birth?” he asks. “Does an infant born out a mother’s womb has a caste? The caste is a reality, but backward and forward is a constitutional construct. Now Paswan in Bihar is a scheduled caste but not so in Delhi. Or Yadavs, they maybe backward...Why are they screaming?” He claims the Opposition has become desperate as they have already lost the elections.

8.50 pm: Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu tells citizens that “a wrong vote can make your children chaiwala, pakodewala or chowkidar”. “Better prevent and prepare, rather then repent and repair,” tweets Sidhu.

Sidhu’s statement is an apparent jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has said that he was a tea-seller in his youth. The prime minister had earlier claimed that people earning a livelihood selling ‘pakodas’ can be considered employed. Modi had also initiated the MainBhiChowkidar campaign to counter criticism from the Congress that used a phrase “chowkidar chor hai” to refer to him as a thief.

8.20 pm: The Election Commission says 64% voter turnout was recorded in phase four of Lok Sabha elections, PTI reports.

7.28 pm: The Election Commission says the overall turnout at this time is 62.18% for the fourth phase of polls.

Bihar (5 seats): 58.92%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 9.79%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 66.68%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 55.88%

Odisha (six seats): 64.05%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 66.61%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 56.50%

West Bengal (8 seats): 76.59%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 63.77%

7.15 pm: “I have not met my seniors yet and when we will sit together I will know where and why violence took place,” Trinamool Congress candidate Moon Moon Sen tells the media, ANI reports. “A little violence will happen, it happens in every place. Violence is much less now compared to before.”

7 pm: Rahul Gandhi asks youths wearing “Main bhi Chowkidar” t-shirts in Churu what happened to the 2 crore jobs Narendra Modi had promised, PTI reports. “You are all welcome here [at his rally],” Gandhi says. “Chowkidarji [Modi] had also promised 2 crore jobs. Anyone among you got the jobs?”

6.46 pm: “History says every dictator first talks of nationalism and captivate the people,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says at a rally in Churu constituency, PTI reports. “Modi has been doing the same thing, but the people, especially the young generation, need to understand this.” He claims Modi is on course to become a dictator.

6.39 pm: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claims that Rahul Gandhi will fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s wish to dissolve the Congress party after Independence, PTI reports. At a rally in Indore, Chouhan also accuses the Congress chief of “breaking a record” of lying and levelling “wrong allegations” against Narendra Modi.

6.22 pm: The Election Commission says the estimated overall turnout at this time is 59.90%.

Bihar (5 seats): 54.30%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 9.79%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 66.09%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 52.55%

Odisha (six seats): 64.05%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 63.78%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 53.65%

West Bengal (8 seats): 76.59%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 63.77%

6.10 pm: The Election Commission issues a notice to BJP leader and Begusarai candidate Giriraj Singh, directing him to explain his remark on April 24 that the country will never forgive those who refuse to chant Vande Mataram. The poll panel says Singh has violated the Model Code of Conduct and should explain his comment within 24 hours, failing which it will take a decision on its own.

6.02 pm: The Congress files 30 complaints with the Election Commission alleging glitches in EVMs across Maharashtra, PTI reports. The party said the majority of complaints came in from Dhule and Nandurbar.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil claims in a tweet that the complaints show that there is “something fishy”. “The districts like Dhule and Nandurbar are bastions of the Congress,” he says. “There is definitely something wrong if EVM malfunctioning complaints are coming from such places. There is something fishy!”

5.55 pm: The Rajasthan chief electoral officer seeks a report after some voters in Jodhpur complained that they had been unable to cast their ballot, as their votes had already been cast, ANI reports. Polling officials allegedly told the voters that nothing can be done about it.

5.50 pm: Amit Shah claims at rallies in Chitrakoot and Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh that the Opposition has given tickets to musclemen, PTI reports. However, he adds, this will fail to have an impact on the polls as the Adityanath government has been “acting tough” against them.

5.46 pm: Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in the Tikamgarh, Damoh and Khajuraho Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, state Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta tells PTI. The BJP had won all three seats in 2014.

5.40 pm: The police have filed an FIR against Babul Supriyo, the BJP candidate from Asansol, for allegedly entering a booth and threatening the polling agent and an officer. The FIR was filed based on the orders of the Election Commission.

An FIR has also been filed against unidentified individuals for allegedly breaking the glass of Supriyo’s car in Asansol.

5.33 pm: Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot says the BJP government at the Centre has been arrogant and has ignored farmers, PTI reports. At a rally in Sardarshahar town under the Churu Lok Sabha constituency, Pilot claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad in Kerala will ensure that the BJP fails to open its account in South India.

5.20 pm: Nashik Nationalist Congress Party candidate Sameer Bhujbal’s mother’s name was missing from the electoral roll, The Indian Express reports. The Bhujbal family, with the exception of Hirabai Bhujbal, have cast their ballot in the city.

5.11 pm: The estimated voter turnout at 5.11 pm is 53.36%, says the Election Commission.

Bihar (5 seats): 53.49%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 9.98%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 59.96%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 44.57%

Odisha (six seats): 55.75%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 55.99%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 48.35%

West Bengal (8 seats): 70.55%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 57.13%

5.02 pm: Aam Aadmi Party’s East Delhi candidate Atishi Marlena accuses her rival candidate, BJP’s Gautam Gambhir, of violating the Model Code of Conduct by distributing pamphlets without details, PTI reports. Atishi has written a letter to the poll panel complaining against Gambhir’s alleged violation.

4.57 pm: Congress leader P Chidambaram claims the five years of Narendra Modi’s rule have been a “complete disaster”, PTI reports. He tells the agency that BJP will not be able to form the next government and there is a possibility of UPA-3 coming to power with post-poll alliances.

4.48 pm: The BJP asks the Election Commission to conduct re-polling in Chapra in Krishnanagar constituency; Chakdah in Ranaghat constituency; Barabani, Asansol, Pandaweshwar in Asansol constituency; and all booths in Birbhum, reports News18.

4.43 pm: The Biju Janata Dal writes to Odisha chief electoral officer alleging booth capturing by BJP. “BJP goons conducted booth capturing in 12 booths of Bari Assembly constituency under Jajpur parliamentary constituency while the polling was going on today,” reads the letter, according to ANI.

4.42 pm: Actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri vote in Bandra, Mumbai.

4.41 pm: Addressing a rally in Churu, Rajasthan, Congress President Rahul Gandhi asks where are the 2 crore jobs that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to generate, reports PTI. He alleges that Modi gave public money to the top 15 rich people but the Congress wants to give money to the poor.

4.17 pm: After Modi’s warning to Mamata Banerjee that 40 TMC MLAs are in touch with him, TMC leader Derek O’Brien accuses the prime minister of horse trading. “Today, we are complaining to the Election Commission. Charging you with horse trading,” he tweets.

4.01 pm: The Calcutta High Court refuses to pass an injunction on the Election Commission’s decision to keep TMC’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mandal under surveillance, reports PTI.

3.59 pm: Samajwadi Party urges the Election Commission to remove Uttar Pradesh’s police chief OP Singh from the post, reports PTI. The party accuses him of favouring the ruling BJP. The party also alleges that in at least two polling booths the Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machine showed the voting for the BJP when the ballot was cast for the Samajwadi Party in Kannauj.

3.57 pm: BJP leader Harish Khurana files complaint against Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in Tis Hazari Court, alleging that she has three voter IDs – one from Sahibabad (Ghaziabad), one from Civil Lines (Chandni Chowk), and the third from Kolkata.

3.34 pm: The overall voter turnout at 3 pm is 49.47%, says the Election Commission.

Bihar (5 seats): 44.29%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 8.42%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 55.14%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 41.06%

Odisha (six seats): 51.54%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 54.04%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 44.13%

West Bengal (8 seats): 66.01%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 56.37%

3.32 pm: Shatrughan Sinha files his nomination from Patna Sahib Constituency.

3.24 pm: Trinamool Congress’ Asansol candidate Moon Moon Sen claims she was unaware of the violence that erupted in the constituency in the morning because she woke up late, NDTV reports. She says she was given her “bed tea very late”.

3.19 pm: Samajwadi Party gives a ticket to Tej Bahadur Yadav, the Border Security Force constable who in 2017 made videos of poor quality food served to troops, from Varanasi constituency. He will contest the election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

3.11 pm: Former Union minister Jitin Prasada says his sister was unable to vote in Dhaurhara Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. “When my sister went to the polling booth, she found her name had been ticked and the presiding officer told her that vote had been cast,” he tells Hindustan Times. “This is how fake voting is taking place.”

3.03 pm: Modi claims that TMC MLAs will desert Mamata Banerjee after the election results are out. “Your 40 MLAs are in contact with us,” he says.

3.01 pm: Modi says Mamata Banerjee gets infuriated when the BJP talks of nationalism, security and martyrs. “The people of country can forgive you for a mistake, but they can’t pardon you for the betrayal,” he adds.

2.59 pm: Addressing a rally in Serampore, West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleges that “goons of TMC” are trying to stop people from voting. “They are not letting BJP leaders campaign,” he adds.

2.46 pm: TMC writes to the Election Commission over alleged firing by security forces personnel in Dubrajpur, Birbhum. “Central forces have created a reign of terror in minds of voters and have also urged the voters to cast their vote for BJP,” the TMC says in its letter, reports ANI.

2.40 pm: BJP fields Manohar Parrikar’s former aide Sidharth Kuncalienker for the Panaji bye-polls, reports NDTV. Earlier, there were reports that Parrikar’s son will be in the fray. “I have been saying from day one that whatever the party decides, I will comply with that,” says Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar. “This constituency was represented by my father for more than 25 years so it is very essential that we retain it. I would do whatever is necessary so that the party retains this seat comfortably.”

2.28 pm: Mamata Banerjee condemns the firing by central force personnel inside a booth, reports Hindustan Times. “I have heard that central force personnel have entered a booth in Dubrajpur and opened fire,” says the Trinamool Congress chief. “Law and order is a state subject. They cannot do it.”

2.27 pm: The police allegedly fire in the air in Poduma area of Dubrajpur in Birbhum constituency of West Bengal after villagers threw stones security personnel, reports ABP Ananda.

2.20 pm: The overall voter turnout at 2 pm is 38.63%, says the Election Commission.

Bihar (5 seats): 37.71%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 6.66%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 43.44%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 29.95%

Odisha (six seats): 35.79%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 44.62%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 34.42%

West Bengal (8 seats): 52.37%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 44.90%

2.19 pm: The Samajwadi Party writes a letter to the UP Election Commission, alleging that EVM glitches at a polling booth in Kannauj halted the voting process for three hours, reports News18. The party urges the poll panel to address the matter.

2.16 pm: Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha claims he was able to remove his indelible ink with nail polish remover.

2.12 pm: Addressing a rally in Pratapgarh, BJP President Amit Shah says the Modi government has provided gas connections to 7 crore poor people in the last five years. “Out of these, 1 lakh 70 thousand gas connections have been given in Pratapgarh,” he claims.

1.59 pm: The Supreme Court issues a notice to the Election Commission and the Centre after a petition said that criminal action should not be taken against voters whose complaints about faults in electronic voting machines are found to be false.

1.57 pm: Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Shabhana Azmi and lyricist Javed Akhtar cast their votes in Mumbai, reports ANI.

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, wife Anjali Tendulkar, daughter Sara Tendulkar and son Arjun Tendulkar vote in Bandra. Sara and Arjun Tendulkar are first-time voters, ANI reports.

1.51 pm: The Election Commission “strongly condemns” comments that Union minister Maneka Gandhi made in Pilibhit district, Uttar Pradesh, where she said she will grade villages according to the number of votes she receives and will prioritise development work correspondingly. The poll panel warns her against repeating such statements and violating the Model Code of Conduct.

The Election Commission says the statement violated provisions of “general conduct” of the Model Code of Conduct and sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

1.39 pm: Congress leader Manish Tewari files his nomination from Anandpur Sahib constituency in Punjab, ANI reports. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accompanied Tewari.

1.28 pm: BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi says a BJP delegation met Election Commission officials and brought up Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. “His statements are baseless and derogatory and in violation of electoral laws,” ANI quotes Naqvi as saying. “We also raised the issue of poll violence in West Bengal. We have asked deputation of central forces at all polling booths so that free and fair elections can be held in the state.”

1.21 pm: The overall turnout at 1 pm is 35.12%.

Bihar (5 seats): 30.84%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 6.66%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 40.07%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 24.95%

Odisha (six seats): 32.40%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 39.92%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 33.72%

West Bengal (8 seats): 50.32%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 44.90%

1.17 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the Congress has promised to repeal the sedition law if it comes to power. “So it will become difficult to act against those who aid the maoists,” Modi says in Jharkhand. “This is Congress’ thinking.”

1.15 pm: BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Mathura, Hema Malini, and her daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol, cast their vote at Vile Parle, ANI reports.

1.12 pm: Union minister Piyush Goyal claims a Modi wave has overtaken the country, reports ANI. “This election is now a tsunami election...PM Modi is the tallest leader today in the country,” he says. Goyal cast his vote at a booth in Malabar Hill, Mumbai.

1.01 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautions first-time voters against “Mission Mahamilavat”. “They do not want a government with absolute majority,” he says in Jharkhand, reports PTI. “Congress wants a weak government they can remote control.”

12.58 pm: A parliamentary delegation of the Trinamool Congress will meet the Election Commission at 1.15 pm in Delhi over “illegal action of central forces and BJP candidates breaking Model Code of Conduct.”

12.54 pm: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray cast their vote at a polling booth in Gandhi Nagar, Mumbai, ANI reports.

12.51 pm: The Supreme Court issues notice to the Election Commission and the Centre after hearing a petition seeking to decriminalise complaints on malfunctioning VVPATs or electronic voting machines, ANI reports. At present, a person whose complaint is found to be false faces jail time and a fine.

The plea was filed by Sunil Ahya, a lawyer in Mumbai.

12.45 pm: A delegation of BJP leaders will meet the chief electoral officer of West Bengal to complain of “massive rigging and discrepancies” in voting in the fourth phase of polls, reports News18.

12.43 pm: Incidents of stone pelting are reported in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, according to PTI. Polling is under way in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.

“Isolated incidents of stone pelting near polling stations have been reported from various parts of Kulgam district but the situation is under control due to timely action of security forces,” says an unidentified police official. He said there were no reports of any injuries.

12.38 pm: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says national security and welfare of the people are the two main issues in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, reports Hindustan Times.

“Only the leadership of PM Narendra Modi could help create a stable government,” he says. “The Congress government that came in four months ago in the state has created a chaotic environment in the state and people are also feeling that they have done a mistake by not electing a BJP government. People will surely vote for BJP to teach a lesson to the Congress government in the state.”

12.33 pm: Trinamool Congress workers protest in Nanoor of Birbhum district after BJP workers opposed TMC supporters who insisted that polling continue even in the absence of central forces at a voting booth, reports ANI.

12.31 pm: The overall voter turnout at noon is 23.95%.

Bihar (5 seats): 18.26%

Jammu and Kashmir (1 seat): 3.74%

Madhya Pradesh (six seats): 28.67%

Maharashtra (17 seats): 17.56%

Odisha (six seats): 19.67%

Rajasthan (13 seats): 29.36%

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats): 21.18%

West Bengal (8 seats): 35.10%

Jharkhand (3 seats): 29.21%

12.18 pm: Anand Mahindra, chairperson of Mahindra Group, says even if a coalition government comes to power, it should work towards the progress and growth of country, reports ANI. “We all have been infected by the virus of progress and growth.”

12.14 pm: BJP leader Babul Supriyo alleges booth capturing by Trinamool Congress workers. He claimed Trinamool Congress workers were standing near the electronic voting machine and influencing voters.

11.59 am: Polling resumes in Samastipur, Bihar, after EVM malfunctions, reports India Today.

11.58 am: Nine people suffer injuries as TMC and BJP supporters clash in Birbhum district of West Bengal, reports News18.

11.57 am: A delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders will approach the Election Commission over delayed voting in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, reports India Today.

11.43 am: Actor Kangana Ranaut casts her vote in Khar, Mumbai.

11.42 am: A TMC delegation is likely to meet the Election Commission over poll violence in Bolpur, Asansol and Birbhum districts of West Bengal, reports News18. They are also likely to complain against BJP MP Babul Supriyo.

11.41 am: A complaint has been filed against AAP’s Sangrur candidate Bhagwant Mann over alleged discrepancies in his nomination affidavit, reports ANI.

11.36 am: Actor-politician Sunny Deol files his nomination from Gurudaspur.

11.34 am: The flying squad of the Election Commission seizes Rs 64,500 cash from a car parked outside the poll campaign office of Shiv Sena candidate Rajendra Gavit in Palghar district of Maharashtra, reports PTI.

11.33 am: Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from Anandpur Sahib seat Prem Singh Chandumajra files his nomination.

11.28 am: The overall voter turnout at 11 am is 19.16%. Here’s a state-wise figure:

Bihar: 17.33%

Jammu and Kashmir: 3.74%

Madhya Pradesh: 21.67%

Maharashtra: 11.23%

Odisha: 16.68%

Rajasthan: 21.26%

Uttar Pradesh: 20.27%

West Bengal: 30.19%

Jharkhand: 29.21%

11.27 am: Clashes erupt between BJP workers and CISF jawans in Kanpur, reports Hindustan Times. The BJP workers allegedly urged people to vote for the saffron party inside a polling booth.

11.20 am: Voting under way in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

11.19 am: Clashes have broken out between supporters of the BJP and the TMC in Nanoor area of Birbhum district of West Bengal, reports India Today.

11.10 am: The Election Commission issues a show cause notice to BJP’s Birbhum candidate Dudhkumar Mondal for using a mobile phone inside the polling booth, reports News18.

11.08 am: In Bihar, polling hampered at three booths in Munger, two in Darbhanga and three in Begusarai due to EVM glitches, reports News18. Similar complaints pour in from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

10.59 am: An EVM has been replaced in Patlipada, Maharashtra, after it developed a snag, reports Hindustan Times. Many voters went home after waiting for an hour. Another EVM has been replaced in Panvel, Mumbai. There are reports of EVM glitches from Bihar and Odisha too.

10.53 am: Nearly 1,000 Pakistani migrants are eligible to vote for the first time in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, today, reports the Hindsustan Times. In 2016, the home ministry gave powers to district magistrates and state home secretaries to grant citizenship to Hindus, who have migrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

10.50 am: Actor Anupam Kher casts his vote in Mumbai.

10.45 am: Actors Bhagyashree and Sonali Bendre cast their votes in Mumbai.

10.38 am: A police observer tells the Election Commission that polling has started in Asansol, where violence was reported earlier.

10.35 am: BJP candidate Jay Panda alleges rigging at voting booths in Odisha, reports ANI. “Today, we registered 14-15 complaints with poll authorities over disturbance and attempts of booth rigging at different polling booths,” he says. “We want free and fair polls.”

10.31 am: A BJP delegation will meet the Election Commission today over of poll-related violence in West Bengal, reports ANI.

10.29 am: The Congress asks why the central government did not direct the RBI to disclose information about annual inspection report and list of wilful loan defaulters, reports PTI.

On Friday, the Supreme Court told the RBI to withdraw its disclosure policy. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and MR Shah said it was giving the central bank one last opportunity to comply with its 2015 order on disclosures under the Right to Information Act.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Many Singhvi asks if the BJP was trying to protect “crony capitalists” whose names are in the list of RBI’s wilful defaulters.

10.21 am: The Congress approaches the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s alleged inaction on complaints against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, reports NDTV. It has alleged that the two BJP leaders have repeatedly violated the Model Code of Conduct by invoking the armed forces in their campaign speeches.

10.19 am: Actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao cast their votes in Mumbai.

10.18 am: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says Modi wants to mislead public opinion by resorting to rhetoric rather than speaking responsibly about India’s nuclear power status. “The PM’s job is to educate the people, not lead them astray,” he tells Hindustan Times in an interview. He alleges that Modi has not delivered on any of his poll promises made in 2014. “That’s why he’s hiding behind nationalism,” says Gehlot. “He’s seeking to replicate the history of rise of dictatorships amid such ruin, by whipping up war hysteria.”

10.10 am: The Congress is likely to move court against the Election Commission’s alleged inaction on complaints against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, reports NDTV. At a show on the news channel, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi says the two BJP leaders have repeatedly violated the Model Code of Conduct by invoking the armed forces in their campaign speeches.

10 am: Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya claims West Bengal will soon “become like Jammu and Kashmir” if the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is not removed from power soon, reports NDTV. Intelligence agencies are on alert after a poster in Bengali claimed that ISIS was “coming soon”.

“The threat of ISIS coming to Bengal has taken us by surprise, all of this is happening because of Mamata [Banerjee’s] appeasement politics,” he says. “If Mamata Banerjee is not removed from Bengal then the state will become like Jammu and Kashmir, it is due to her that the terrorists have got a stronghold in the border areas.”

9.50 am: A case has been filed against AAP minister Gopal Rai for violating the Model Code of Conduct by distributing pamphlets without getting clearance from the Election Commission, reports ANI.

9.49 am: Congress’ Bhopal candidate Digvijaya Singh tells The Hindu that he has never used the term “Hindu terror”. “Show me a clip where I have called Hindus terrorists. I am a Hindu myself. Why should I call myself a terrorist?” he asks.

9.48 am: The stock market is closed today due to elections in Mumbai.

9.47 am: Actor Madhuri Dixit casts her vote in Juhu.

9.46 am: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar after casting his vote at polling booth No. 31 in Tardeo.

9.32 am: Voter turnout at 9 am:

Bihar: 10.22%

Jammu and Kashmir: 0.61%

Madhya Pradesh: 8.74%

Maharashtra : 2.21%

Rajasthan: 4.98%

Uttar Pradesh: 7.40%

West Bengal: 12.45%

Jharkhand: 10.94%

9.27 am: A clash breaks out between TMC workers and security personnel at polling booth number 199 in Asansol, reports ANI.

9.23 am: BJP candidate Babul Supriyo’s car vandalised in Asansol, reports ANI.

9.20 am: BJP’s Babul Supriyo visits a polling booth in Asansol. “I will myself take the central forces to that polling station,” he tells reporters. “It is very good that people in West Bengal are aware and they want central forces so that they can cast their vote. This is why Mamata Banerjee is scared.”

9.14 am: The Congress allege proxy voting and no security arrangement at booth no 157 in Behrampur, West Bengal. The party says their polling agent was not allowed to sit there, reports News18.

9.13 am: BJP’s Krishnanagar candidate allege booth capturing at several polling booths, reports News18.

9.12 am: CPI candidate from Begusarai Kanhaiya Kumar casts his vote.

9.10 am: Voting is yet to begin at booth No. 35 and 435 of Chhibramau area in Kannauj due to EVM glitch, reports ANI.

9.01 am: Babul Supriyo, the BJP candidate from Asansol, says he will visit the polling booths where the voters are allegedly being stopped. “I will be going to those booths with central forces,” he says, according to News18. “There is a voter revolution that is being seen in these elections. Mamata Banerjee can only see her seat and nothing else.”

8.54 am: Clashes break out in Asansol, West Bengal, reports News18. The voters are alleging that they are unable to vote. Rapid Action Forces and central forces are trying to control the situation while the police resort to batoncharge.

8.53 am: Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday claimed he would quit politics if Congress chief Rahul Gandhi lost the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, reports Hindustan Times.

8.50 am: After a snag in the EVM, voting is yet to begin at booth No. 189 and 196 of Chhibramau area in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, reports ANI.

8.47 am: BJP candidate Anurag Sharma casts his vote at a polling booth in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

8.46 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asks people to come out and vote in large numbers. “Another phase of the General Elections begins today,” he tweets. “I hope those voting today do so in large numbers and break the voting records of the previous three phases. A special appeal to young voters to head to the polling booth and exercise their franchise.”

8.44 am: Voters of five villages in Jhansi-Lalitpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh have threatened to boycott the elections after they face acute water crisis throughout the year, reports PTI. The five villages together have a population of 5,000 people.

8.40 am: Voting is yet to begin at booth No. 162 in Malad West, Mumbai, due to a glitch in the EVM, reports ANI.

8.39 am: Actor and Congress candidate Urmila Matondkar casts her vote in Mumbai.

8.37 am: Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal is under strict surveillance during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections today.

8.35 am: Actor Shubha Khote casts her vote at a polling booth in Juhu, Mumbai.

8.34 am: CPI candidate arrives to cast his vote in Bengusarai.

8.32 am: Polling is suspended at two booths in Jemua in Asansol district of West Bengal, reports ANI. Villagers here are protesting the absence of central forces.

8.31 am: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath casts his vote in Chhindwara.

7.50 am: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never practised caste politics. “How is the Prime Minister’s caste relevant?” Jaitley asks on Twitter. “He has never done caste politics. He has only done developmental politics. He is inspired by nationalism.”

Jaitley was responding to statements made by BSP chief Mayawati and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav who had criticised Modi for a remark he made at an election election rally in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday.

7.45 am: Veteran actor Rekha, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das cast their votes.

7.25 am: Voting has not yet begun at a polling booth in Bolpur constituency in West Bengal due to a glitch in an Electronic Voting Machine, ANI reports.

7.20 am: Businessman Anil Ambani casts his vote in Mumbai.

7.17 am: Union minister Giriraj Singh casts his vote in Lakhisarai district, which comes under the Munger Lok Sabha constituency. Singh is contesting today’s election from Begusarai.

7.15 am: Here are some visuals of polling stations from across India.

7.13 am: BJP’s candidate from Gurdaspur in Punjab, Sunny Deol, will file his nomination today.

Also read:

2019 Lok Sabha elections: What you need to know about the fourth phase of voting

7.12 am: Voting will take place from 7 am to 6 pm in all seats except in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, where it will end at 4 pm. More than 1.4 lakh polling booths have been set up for this phase.

7.10 am: Elections for 42 Assembly seats in Odisha and bye-polls for Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, Nighasan in Uttar Pradesh and Krishnaganj in West Bengal will also be held.

7.07 am: Parts of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will vote on Monday.

7.05 am: Voting begins in 72 constituencies across nine states. More than 12 crore voters will decide the fate of 961 candidates in this phase.

7 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:

Trinamool will request EC to look into Narendra Modi’s poll expenditure, Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday. On Saturday, Congress’ Chidambaram had also accused the EC of not looking into PM Modi’s ‘unprecedented rally expenses’.
Sharad Pawar said Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu and Mayawati are the top contenders for the PM’s post. The Nationalist Congress Party chief also said Congress President Rahul Gandhi had himself said he was not in the race to be prime minister.
The Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of using ‘non-Indian wrestler’ Khali to misguide voters and sought the EC’s intervention.
Opposition parties had complained to the EC that the BJP’s name was displayed under its symbol on electronic voting machines during a mock drill in West Bengal’s Barrackpore constituency.
Priyanka Gandhi said the Congress decided to not field her in Varanasi. Congress leader Sam Pitroda had, however, on Friday claimed that it was Priyanka Gandhi’s decision not to contest the polls against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
AAP leader Atishi criticised BJP rival Gautam Gambhir for saying she has no vision for East Delhi. She asked the former cricketer what he had done for the constituency to deserve the saffron party’s ticket.
Had Pragya Thakur cursed Masood Azhar, we would not have needed surgical strikes, Digvijaya Singh said, in reference to Thakur’s comment that her curse led to the death of former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare in the 2008 Mumbai blasts. Hemant Karkare’s daughter, meanwhile, said she won’t dignify Pragya Thakur’s remarks.

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Election watch: EC says 64% voter turnout recorded in fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls

All of today’s Lok Sabha poll updates, as they happened.