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CoverStory
Clashes broke out
between supporters
of rival parties in West
Bengal during polls
Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Madhya Pradesh V L
Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur seats Kantha Rao, meanwhile, said that during a mock-poll,
recorded 53.23 per cent polling till 5 pm, an electoral electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced at
officer said. Reports were received of EVMs develop- 207 polling booths as some glitches were found. EVMs
ing snag in Bidhauna area under the Kannauj Lok were also replaced at 106 polling booths after the
Sabha seat following which polling remained sus- voting began.
pended for over an hour. Polling was peaceful in Rajasthan, with tribal domi-
Complaints of EVM malfunctioning were also nated seat of Banswara recording the highest vot-
reported in Etawah under Auriaya district, with voters ing percentage at 72.34, followed by Barmer which
claiming they had to wait for hours at polling booths recorded 72.21 per cent voting, according to state elec-
in Tilak Mahavidyalaya, Sahupur, Ajitmal and Dalel- tion officials. Nearly 52 per cent voting was recorded
nagar to cast their votes. According to a report from in Maharashtra (17 seats), 64.05 per cent Odisha (6
Hardoi, an elderly woman voter complained that the seats), 53.67 per cent Bihar (five seats) and 63.42 per
presiding officer at Jamkara booth under Sandila area cent Jharkhand (3 seats), according to data provided
forcibly pressed the EVM button. The sector magis- by the Election Commission.
trate has removed the officer and handed him over to In Jharkhand’s three parliamentary constituencies
the police, who is investigating the matter. – Lohardaga (ST), Palamu (SC) and Chatra, a turnout of
Besides Dimple Yadav, prominent candidates 63.40 was recorded. Prominent among those in the
whose electoral fate will be decided in this phase are fray were Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs
Dimple Yadav, former Union ministers Salman Khur- and BJP’s Lohardaga candidate Sudarshan Bhagat,
shid (Farrukhabd) and Sriprakash Jaiswal (Kanpur) who was pitted against Congress MLA and Mahagath-
of Congress, UP Cabinet minister Satyadev Pachauri bandhan’ candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat. “An estimated
(Kanpur) and Sakshi Maharaj of BJP (Unnao) 63.77 per cent polling was recorded by 5 pm and it will
tehelka / 15 may 2019 16 www.tehelka.com
