New Delhi sources stated that the world's largest democratic exercise began Thursday with crores of Indians coming out to vote to elect 91 Parliamentarians in the first phase of over a month long Lok Sabha polls for which the Modi government has made nationalism its core pitch to retain power amid a fragmented challenge from Congress and a number of regional players.
Meanwhile the election officials said voter turnout was high at most places, while poll-related violence saw the death of two persons in Andhra Pradesh and complaints poured in from various states about glitches in electronic voting machines and of names missing from the voter lists. Furthermore in the first phase, the BJP is looking to defend 32 seats, including those being fought by senior party leader Nitin Gadkari and five other Union ministers, and also expand its tally in states dominated by regional players last time.
Moreover the main opposition party Congress is hoping to defend seven seats it won in 2014, besides eyeing gains in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Apparently voting also took place in 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, 32 in Sikkim, 57 in Arunachal Pradesh and 28 in Odisha. Hence the first phase Lok Sabha constituencies include all 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 17 in Telangana, five in Uttarakhand, two in Meghalaya, two in Arunachal Pradesh and lone seats in Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep.
