Lok Sabha Polls End on Result Will Announce on May 16

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 6:23 pm

New Delhi: Long and winding elections to Lok Sabha finally ended on Wednesday, but roughly half of the 71.4 crore registered electors participated in this democratic exercise that is widely expected to deliver a hung house.
The Congress-led UPA is looking for a new term in office while the NDA steered by the BJP is trying to end its term in the opposition, although it isn’t clear if one of them would on their own be able to muster the 272 seats needed to stake claim for power.

Politicians were fierce verbally during campaigning, but the elections itself were bloody with naxalites attacking polling and security personnel in the first two rounds leaving over 20 dead.

The fifth and final phase today saw elections to 86 constituencies across nine states and two union territories, including all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.

Counting will be held on May 16.

Brisk Polling

One person was killed and several hurt in clashes in Tamil Nadu even as brisk polling was reported till early afternoon in eight states and union territories in the fifth and final phase of Lok Sabha polls, barring Jammu & Kashmir where the turnout was moderate.

A local DMK functionary was stabbed to death near a polling booth in Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency, while clashes between rival political parties were reported from Chennai Central and Cuddalore constituencies where seven people were injured.

Two scribes of private TV channels were injured when they were allegedly attacked by activists of ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) at Duneke village on the outskirts of Punjab’s Moga town when they recorded footage of party workers carrying weapons in vehicles, police sources said.

One person was killed early this morning in a clash between Trinamool Congress activists and CPI-M cadre at Baliguri on the outskirts of Kolkata, before the polling began.

While around 35-40% voting was recorded till early afternoon from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Puducherry, polling was about 30% in Himachal Pradesh and about 16-18% in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Home Minister P Chidambaram, DMK’s T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and M K Azhagiri, Congress’ Md Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka and Varun Gandhi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, MDMK’s Vaiko and SP’s Jayaprada.

Tamil Nadu records 35% polling till noon

CHENNAI: A local functionary of DMK was stabbed to death near a polling booth in Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency, even as over 35% of the 4.16 crore electorate used their franchise till noon in Tamil Nadu.

Local DMK secretary, Thangavel, was killed at Pappanampatti in Dindigul parliamentary seat by a former associate near a polling booth over an old enmity, police said

Tension gripped the area following the incident but situation was soon brought under control, they added.

In Chennai Central constituency, supporters of DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi’s (MMK) Hyder Ali clashed in front of a polling booth, over allegations of bogus voting, in which a man was injured and few vehicles, including that of Ali, were damaged, police said.

In Cuddalore constituency, six persons were injured in a clash between AIADMK and DMK workers near a polling booth over allegations of money being distributed by the DMK, they said.

Barring few incidents of clashes, polling was by and large peaceful, they added.

As polling began, voters stood in long queues since morning, braving the summer heat, to choose their representatives to Lok Sabha from among 824 candidates in Tamil Nadu, official sources said.

The electoral fate of Union Ministers P Chidambaram and T R Baalu, Manishankar Aiyar, M K Azhagiri, MDMK chief Vaiko, CPI state secretary D Pandian and BJP state president L Ganesan is being decided today.

25-30% voting till noon in West Bengal

KOLKATA: A voter turnout of 25 to 30% was recorded till noon today in the elections to 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase in West Bengal which remained by and large peaceful.

State home secretary Ardhendu Sen said the voting had remained peaceful except for some minor incidents till noon.

He said a clash between CPM and Trinamool Congress was reported from Bhangar in South 24-parganas district. There was also tension at some booths in the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency.

The polling in the city, which has two constituencies of Kolkata South and Kolkata North, has also remained peaceful and incident-free, the police said.

Strict security arrangement has been made in all the 11 constituencies. Armed police has been deployed in all the booths spanning the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies as most booths have been declared ‘sensitive’, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Debasish Sen, said.

An abandoned tiffin box created panic in a booth in Garifa High School under the Barrackpore constituency, but it was found to have contained nothing objectionable by the bomb disposal squad. The polling process was not disturbed.

One person, Saminul Haque, was killed before polling began in a clash between Trinamool Congress and CPM supporters at Baliguri under Barasat Lok Sabha constituency, the police said.

Lok Sabha Polls End on Result Will Announce on May 16

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