Lok Sabha polls, April 23: As it Happened

BJP president Amit Shah played down reports of Priyanka Gandhi's candidature from Varanasi and said that the Congress is in a state of confusion.

"There is democracy in the country, anyone can contest. Congress is in confusion, not us," he said during his interaction with media.

Superstar Akshay Kumar has interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The "Khiladi" Kumar shared a promo of the interview from his Twitter handle.  

The interview will be aired on India TV at 9 am tomorrow (April 24).

A man named Tiyarul Kalam lost his life in clashes between Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Baligram (Murshidabad).

Chief Electoral Officer (West Bengal) Ariz Aftab said that family of the deceased filed a complaint against 6 persons out of which 3 have been arrested.

The violence took place earlier today.

He has swiftly dispatched bad boys, has destroyed Pakistani battle tanks with grenades and protested again courts giving "tareekh pe tareekh". Sunny Deol has a fan-following of his own. At the time when the actor has taken the political plunge, know more about him by clicking on the story below.

Read | BJP fields Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur: 10 interesting facts about Border actor

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol will contest Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur in Punjab while Kirron Kher will defend her seat in Chandigarh.

This was made official by Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday evening (April 23).

News agency ANI has reported that 63.24% of voters came out to vote during third phase of Lok Sabha elections today.

The Congress on Tuesday raised strong objections over what it said was "Code of Conduct violation" by PM Modi.

Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that PM Modi delivered a speech after casting his vote and hence violated the code of conduct.

A delegation from the Congress met Election Commission officers to appeal them to bar PM Modi from campaigning from 48-72 hours.

The Election Commission of India, in its estimated figures, said that 61.31% of voters came out to exercise their franchise in phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections today.

Several prominent candidates including former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and cricketer-tuned-politician Gautam Gambhir filed their nominations for the May 12 Lok Sabha polls in Delhi on Tuesday, the last day to enter the fray. 

Many of the candidates took out road shows in the scorching heat in their constituencies before filing their nominations.

All seven candidates of the Congress -- former Delhi minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Delhi Congress chief Jai Prakash Agarwal, former Union minister Ajay Maken, Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia, former Cong MP Mahabal Mishra along Dikshit and Singh filed their papers.

BJP candidates Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans, sitting MP from South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency Ramesh Bidhuri and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi filed their nominations besides Gambhir.

A polling booth has been set up for a single voter in Gujarat's Gir Forest. 

Bharatdas Bapu, the sole voter, cast his vote and expressed gratitude for the Election Commission of India.

Strength of Indian democracy indeed!

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar cast his vote some time ago in Hubballi-Dharwad in Karnataka. 

Shettar was Chief Minister of Karnataka between 2012 and 2013. He is a senior BJP leader.

In Dharwad, BJP's Pralhad Joshi is facing-off Congress' Vinay Kulkarni.

Jaya Prada, Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Urmila Matondkar and many more. The list of Bollywood superstars who joined politics is long. Though they may not be adept in political machinations, presence of filmstars in a political party does help its image in public.

Want to know more?

Click here to get your fix on silver screen mega-stars who joined politics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his attack on Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee. He said that the condition of the TMC has deteriorated to such an extent that they are being forced to invite actors from abroad just to lure the public to attend their rallies. 

Urging all citizens to vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the new India wants to see itself as a dominant force across the world. He was speaking at a public rally in Asansol in West Bengal.

PM Narendra Modi slammed West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee saying that the party is giving tough competition to Congress in corrupt practices.

Congress MP and senior leader Ahmed Patel said that Priyanka Gandhi will definitely contest elections if party asks her to. Mentioning that she herself has made this clear in recent weeks, Patel said that the party will soon take a decision on Priyanka Gandhi's candidature

Congress MP and veteran leader Ahmed Patel cast his vote in Bharuch in Gujarat sometime ago.

In Bharuch, Congress' Sherkhan Abdulsakur Pathan is facing-off BJP's Mansukhbhai Vasava.

Mansukhbhai Vasava is the sitting MP of Bharuch parliamentary constituency.

There has been a great voter turnout in many states while in others, the voting percentage is still improving. Following is the voter turnout in various states till 3 pm

Bihar- 47%

Goa- 57%  

Kerala- 55% 

Maharashtra- 44 %

Odisha- 46%

Tripura- 58%

Uttar Pradesh- 47%  

West Bengal- 67%

Chhattisgarh- 55%

Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 57%

Daman and Diu- 55%

Jammu & Kashmir- 11%

Assam- 62.13%

Gujarat- 50.37%

A man standing in a queue to vote was killed in clashes between Congress and TMC workers in Baligram, Murshidabad.

Samajwadi Party candidate Azam Khan cast his vote along with his son Abdullah Azam Khan in Rampur. Azam Khan is facing BJP's Jaya Prada in Rampur parliamentary constituency.

Madhya Pradesh: BJP workers thrash an NCP worker at SDM office in Bhopal after he allegedly showed black flags to Pragya Singh Thakur, BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, during her roadshow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a direct attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, saying that his exit was certain and that a handful of officers will not save him.

"I want to tell Naveen 'babu' that you are going and it is certain. A handful of officials cannot save you," the Prime Minister said while addressing an election rally in Barua under the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency.

It was for the first time that Modi directly attacked Naveen Patnaik during electioneering in the state. Monday was also the last day that the Prime Minister was campaigning in Odisha. 
 

An average 39.27 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in Gujarat where polling was underway in all 26 Lok Sabha seats of the state. There were complaints of technical glitches in EVMs at some booths, an election official said.

The polling process was going on peacefully, he said, adding that no untoward incident was reported so far.

Following the commencement of polling at 7 pm, an average 39.27 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm, according to official figures.

The Samajwadi Party has fielded Shalini Yadav as the joint candidate of the SP-BSP alliance in Varanasi to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.

A light-weight candidate, Shalini Yadav has unsuccessfully contested the Mayoral polls in Varanasi on a Congress ticket in 2017.

Shalini Yadav is the daughter of former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Shyamlal Yadav.

Samajwadi Party sources said that none of the senior party leaders in the region were willing to contest against the Prime Minister and the party then decided to field Shalini Yadav who joined the party on Monday evening.

Jammu and Kashmir: PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti casts her vote at polling booth number-37D in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district.

Estimated voter turnout till now for the 3rd phase of the general elections is 37.89 per cent.

"Balasore's name has been recorded in history; the anti-satellite missile was launched from this place," PM Modi says, while addressing a rally in Odisha's Balasore.

He adds, "The entire country is rejoicing the success of Mission Shakti, but it pinches 'mahamilawatis' [the Opposition]. The past governments were concerned about interest of a 'naamdar' family, not the country's security."

Clashes erupt between BJP and TMC supporters in West Bengal's North Malda; camp offices of both parties vandalised 

Gujarat: Finance Minister and BJP leader Arun Jaitley casts his vote at a polling booth in Ahmedabad.

Congress candidates Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken file nominations from North East Delhi and New Delhi parliamentary constituency, respectively.

The ruling AIADMK today announced its candidates for by-polls to four Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu scheduled on May 19.

Party Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator K Palaniswami said in a statement that the decision to field the candidates to Sulur, Aravakurichi, Tirupprankundram and Ottapidaram (SC) was taken by the party's Parliamentary Board.

Goa records 45.11 per cent voting till 1 PM  

North Goa - 46.26 per cent
South Goa - 43.97 per cent

Bihar records 33.78 per cent voting till 1 PM 

Jhanjharpur - 31.25 per cent
Supaul - 33 per cent
Araria - 39 per cent
Madhepura - 30 per cent
Khagaria - 36 per cent

Gujarat: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani casts his vote at a polling booth at Shahpur Hindi School in Ahmedabad.

33.18 per cent voting recorded till 1 PM in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly 

Abdullah, son of Samajwadi Party candidate from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, Azam Khan, today accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of tampering the electronic voting machines (EVMs) due to which he said voting in the region had slowed down.

Voting for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh is underway in the third phase of the general elections.

Abdullah said more than 300 EVMs had been tampered with. "The (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP knows that Azam Khan is going to win with a large number of votes and that is why they are using this tactics," he said.

Abdullah also accused the police of threatening the voters. 

Around 30 per cent voter turnout was recorded till noon on Tuesday from seven seats of Chhattisgarh during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Initially, a low turnout was witnessed at the polling booths, but as the voting progressed, people came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise, despite the scorching heat, an election official said.

"Around 30 per cent voting has been recorded till noon," he added.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel casts his vote at polling booth number 55 in Durg. 

"We have said what we had to say in favour of the party and our candidates, now voters will decide. They are the real judge," the chief minister said. 

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and wife Sulakshana Sawant cast their votes at polling booth no. 47 in Sankhali Lok Sabha constituency.

The opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today claimed that EVMs and VVPAT machines malfunctioned at some polling booths in Goa.

Leader of Opposition in Goa Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar alleged foul play by the BJP and said he will complain about this to the Election Commission.

Expressing concern over faulty EVMs in Cuncolim and Quepem Assembly segments, he said, "During mock polling, all votes were getting registered in the BJP's name despite pressing buttons of other parties. I will be filing a complaint with the Election Commission. This is foul play by the BJP."

An estimated 18 per cent of 92.56 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in six Lok Sabha and 42 assembly constituencies of Odisha.

Long queues of voters were seen outside the polling stations, even before the process commenced at 7 AM. 

Boxer Vijender Singh to file his nomination from South Delhi Lok Sabha seat as Congress candidate shortly.

"I can't see any Modi wave anywhere. People have identified the real face. Youth just want employment, they say jumlon se peth nahi bharega," Vijender Singh said today. 

Singer Hans Raj Hans to contest from North West Delhi constituency on BJP ticket. 

Udit Raj, the incumbent MP from North-West, had threatened to resign and contest as an independent if his candidature was not announced from the seat. This was one of the reasons behind the delay in announcing Hans' candidature, party insiders said.

Hans will take on Guggan Singh of the AAP and Rajesh Lilothia of the Congress. 

Around 26.55 per cent polling was recorded in Goa's two Lok Sabha constituencies by 11 AM.

The two parliamentary seats -- North Goa and South Goa -- recorded 26.52 per cent and 26.58 per cent polling respectively till 11 AM, with the average turnout recorded as 26.55 per cent.

Voting was underway at 1,652 polling booths across Goa since 7 AM.
 

Bollywood actor Sunny Deol, son of veteran actor Dharmendra joins the Bharatiya Janata Party in presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman.

The actor, after joining the BJP said, "The way my Papa worked with and supported Atal ji, I am here today to work with and support Modi ji. My work will do the talking."

Chhattisgarh records 27.29 per cent polling till 11:30 AM.

An unusual "visitor" in a polling booth in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, held up voting for a brief today. A small snake was found inside a VVPAT machine in a booth at Mayyil Kandakkai in the constitutency, which is witnessing heavy polling, triggering panic among officials and voters.

However, the reptile was soon removed and voting continued.

The Kannur constituency, where sitting MP PK Sreemathy (CPI-M-LDF), K Surendrdan (Cong-UDF) and CK Padmanabhan (BJP-NDA) are trying their luck, is witnessing brisk polling since morning.

An estimated 16.94 per cent of over 80 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies of West
Bengal. Barring a few isolated incidents of violence, polling has largely been peaceful in Balurghat, Maldaha Uttar, Maldaha Dakshin, Jangipur and Murshidabad Lok Sabha seats.

"Two women voters were injured in an alleged incident of bombing in Murshidabad's Domkal area near a polling booth. Both of them have been hospitalized and we have sought report on the matter from the district magistrate. No one has been arrested or detained in the case so far," an official said.

Uttar Pradesh records 22.64% voting in first four hours - 

Moradabad - 23.2 per cent 
Rampur - 26.8 per cent 
Mainpuri - 20.2 per cent 
Etah - 23 per cent 
Budaun - 21.2 per cent 
Aonla - 20.4 per cent 
Bareilly - 23.2 per cent 
Pilibhit - 25.2 per cent 
Sambhal - 20.8 per cent 
Firozabad - 22.4 per cent 

Karnataka: Senior Congress leader and Gulbarga candidate Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote at polling booth number 119 in Gulabarga.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Tuesday alleged that EVMs were "malfunctioning or voting for the BJP" across the country, terming it a criminal negligence.

"EVMs across India malfunctioning or voting for the BJP. DMs say poll officials untrained to operate EVMs. 350+ being replaced. This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crs. Should we believe DMs Election Commission, or is something far more sinister afoot?" Yadav said in a tweet tagging the Election Commission.

 Actor Sunny Deol to join the Bharatiya Janata Party shortly

People queue up to cast their votes at a polling booth in Wayanad's Sugandhagiri. 

Gujarat: Congress leader Hardik Patel casts his vote at booth number 252/355 in Surendranagar constituency of Viramgam.

Kerala: Veteran actors Mammootty and Mohanlal cast their votes in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram respectively. 

Kerala: BJP MP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, Kummanam Rajasekharan, queues up to cast his vote at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram.

BJP workers in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad beat up an election official at booth number 231. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers alleged that the officer, Mohd Zubair, was pressurizing women voters to press the ‘cycle button' of the Samajwadi Party.

The officer was later removed from the booth but no action was taken against the attackers.

Social activist Anna Hazare casts his vote in Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

BJP MP candidate from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir holds roadshow ahead of filling his nomination.

"I really want to contribute something to the country and whatever our PM has done in the last 5 years, I want to take that legacy forward," he says. 

Karnataka: Priyank Kharge and his wife Shruthi Kharge casts their votes at polling station number 26, in Gundagurti village, in Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency.

Kerala: Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram candidate Shashi Tharoor casts his vote at a polling booth in the city. He is up against BJP's Kummanam Rajasekaran and LDF’s C Divakaran.

Jammu and Kashmir: Kashmiri Pandits cast their votes at a special polling station in Udhampur, for Anantnag parliamentary constituency.

Thushar Vellappally, NDA candidate from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, has demanded re-polling after an electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctioned at a polling booth.

“Let me draw your kind attention to an important matter. It is reported from booth number 79 - CMS Higher Secondary School, Arappatta in Mooppanad Panchayath that the voting machine is damaged. A vote is not being cast even after pressing twice,” a letter by Vellappally through Chief Election Agent Advocate Sinil Kumar G read.

“Please take necessary steps for re-polling as pressing the voting machine twice can make changes in the voting,” it added.

Vellappally is the chief of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the political arm of the Sree Narayan Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP).

Amid complaints of EVM glitches, moderate polling was Tuesday recorded in the first two hours of voting in 116 Lok Sabha seats, including all constituencies of Gujarat and Kerala.

Voting is also underway in four seats in Assam, five in Bihar, seven in Chhattisgarh, 14 each in Karnataka and Maharashtra, six in Odisha, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, five in West Bengal, two in Goa, and one each in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Tripura.

Kerala witnessed enthusiastic voters queuing up at several booths even before 7 am in all 20 Lok Sabha constituencies.

However, there were complaints of technical glitches in electronic voting machines in some polling booths.

Many polling stations witnessed heavy rush and long queues in the initial hours.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Union minister, Alphons Kannamthanam are key contenders in the state.

Women, senior citizens and first-time electors turned up in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

The three major fronts-- ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, Opposition Congress headed UDF and the BJP-NDA have nominated 6 women candidates.
Wayanad constituency from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting, besides his pocket borough Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, has the maximum number of candidates-- 20 and the lowest are in Alathur in Palakkad district (6).

In Karnataka, polling began at 7 am in 28,022 polling stations that are mostly in the northern belt of the state, covering the entire Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, a couple of central districts and coastal Uttara Kannada. 

In Jammu and Kashmir, voting began on a dull note in Anantnag district of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, where polling will be held in three phases. 

Residents in most parts of the district in restive south Kashmir are yet to venture out, officials said.

The Election Commission has curtailed the polling duration for Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency by two hours following a request from the state police to this effect. The voting will be held in south Kashmir areas from 7 am to 4 pm. 

There are 18 candidates in the fray for Anantnag constituency including PDP president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti. 

The Congress has fielded state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir while former High Court judge Hasnain Masoodi is contesting on NC ticket. The other prominent candidate in the fray is former MLC Sofi Yousuf of BJP. 

The entire set of EVMs has been replaced for AC 34, PS No 31 as per report from DEO South Goa.

Over 12 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two-and-a-half hours of polling in seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Chhattisgarh today.

Voting for the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state began in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa (SC), Surguja (ST) and Raigarh (ST) amid tight security at 7 am, an election official said.

"Around 12.08 per cent voting has been recorded till 9.30 am," he said.

Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi casts her vote in Gandhinagar's Raysan 

Uttar Pradesh records 10.24 per cent voter turnout till 9 AM

Uttar Pradesh: Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother Abhay Singh Yadav casts his vote at a polling booth in Saifai, Mainpuri.

Voting underway at polling booth in Government Higher Senior Secondary School in Khanabal in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

Long queues of voters witnessed outside polling booth in Kerala's Wayanad. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is contesting from this seat.

Picture by correspondent T Raghavan

Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik casts his vote at a polling booth in Bhubaneswar.

Polling percentage recorded till 9 AM -

Assam - 12.36 per cent  
Bihar - 12.60 per cent
Goa - 2.29 per cent
Gujarat - 1.35 per cent
Jammu and Kashmir - 0.00 per cent
Karnataka - 1.75 per cent
Kerala - 2.48 per cent
Maharashtra - 0.99 per cent
Odisha - 1.32 per cent
Tripura - 1.56 per cent
Uttar Pradesh - 6.84 per cent 
West Bengal - 10.97 per cent
Chhattisgarh - 2.24 per cent
Dadra and Nagar Haveli - 0.00 per cent
Daman and Diu - 5.83 per cent

The Shiromani Akali Dal today announced its decision to field party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal from the Ferozepur seat while his wife and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has been again nominated from the Bathinda seat. 

The announcement was made by party patron and Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal. 

"It has been decided that SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal will contest from the Ferozepur seat and Harsimrat will contest from the Bathinda seat," Badal said. 

Gujarat: BJP President Amit Shah and his wife Sonal Shah cast their votes at polling booth in Naranpura Sub-Zonal office in Ahmedabad.

After casting his vote at the booth located in Naranpura area of Ahmedabad city, which comes under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right.

"Your every vote can take the country forward, it can secure the country and it can lead the nation on the path of development," said Shah, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election for the first time.

BJP MP Udit Raj today said he will resign from the party if he is denied ticket in the Lok Sabha elections and may contest independently from the North West Delhi parliamentary seat.

Raj, who is sitting MP from North West Delhi, said he will wait for some time for a reply from the party and then file his nomination as an Independent candidate from the seat at 10 am.

"I am waiting for ticket if not given to me, I will do goodbye to party," he said in a tweet.

Polling percentage till 9 AM in Uttar Pradesh -

Tundla - 7%
Jasrana - 7.4%
Firizabad - 10.5%
Shikohabad - 11%
Sirsaganj - 12%

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan casts his vote at a polling booth in Odisha's Talcher. 

West Bengal: Man carries his 87-year mother to polling booth in Kotwali Primary Junior Basic School, in Malda

Polling percentage till 9 AM in Bihar -

Jhanjharpur - 11.50 per cent 
Supaul -  8.30 per cent
Araria - 10 per cent
Madhepura - 8.70 per cent
Khagaria - 8 per cent

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and wife Anjali cast their vote at a polling booth in Anil Gyan Mandir school in Rajkot.

Former IAS officer and BJP MP candidate from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi, casts her vote at polling booth in Government Primary School, IRC village, Bhubaneswar.

She is up against former IPS officer and BJD candidate Arup Patnaik. 

Voting process at booth number 20 of Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh has been halted due to a faulty EVM machine. 

Polling percentage till 8 AM in Bihar 

Jhanjharpur - 4 per cent 
Supaul - 4 per cent 
Araria - 3 per cent 
Madhepura - 5 per cent 
Khagaria - 5 per cent 

Voting in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir began on a dull note today, as residents in most parts of the district stayed indoors so far. 

Polling in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency will be held in three legs, amidst tight security measures.

Nationalist Congress Party's Supriya Sule, along with her family, casts her vote at a polling station in Maharashtra's Baramati.

She is sitting MP and NCP MP candidate from Baramati. 

After casting his vote in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he felt fortunate to have an opportunity to fulfill his duty in his home state.

"Today third phase of polling is underway, I am fortunate that I also got the opportunity to fulfill my duty in my home state of Gujarat. Like you feel pure after a holy dip in Kumbh, one feels pure after casting vote in this festival of democracy," the prime minister said. 

Talking of voter ID, Modi said, "The weapon of terrorism is IED, the strength of democracy is voter ID."

"I can say with surety that the voter ID is much much more powerful than an IED, so we should understand the strength of our voter IDs," PM Modi said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi casts his vote in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to cast his vote at polling booth in Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ranip, in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. 

BJP President Amit Shah also present. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his mother Heeraben Modi at her residence in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. He will cast his vote in Ahmedabad, shortly.

The prime minister spent around 20 minutes with his mother, who gave him a shawl, sweets and a coconut as a goodwill gesture and her blessings for his victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan queues up to casts his vote at polling booth in RC Amala Basic UP School in Pinarayi in Kannur district. 

Second phase of polling is underway in the remaining 14 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, where the contest is between the ruling Congress-JD(S) combine and the BJP.

Polling began at 7 am in 28,022 polling stations that are mostly in the northern belt of the state, covering the entire Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka regions, a couple of central districts and coastal Uttara Kannada.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets people outside his mother's residence in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. He will cast his vote in Ahmedabad, shortly.

BJP national president and party's candidate from Gandhinagar Parliamentary constituency, Amit Shah, near the polling booth at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ranip in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to cast his vote at the polling booth, shortly.

Polling underway for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, at polling booth number 155 in Lachit Nagar in Assam's Guwahati.

Voting is yet to begin at polling booth number 151 in Supaul parliamentary constituency in Bihar. 

A mock poll is currently underway at the polling booth after a faulty EVM was replaced. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at his mother's residence in Gandhinagar. He will cast his vote in Ahmedabad, shortly.

BJP MP candidate from Karnataka's Shimoga, BY Raghvendra, casts his vote at a polling booth in Shikaripura, in the third phase of general elections.

Voters queue outside polling booth in Kotwali Junior Basic School, in West Bengal's Malda.

5 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state are voting in the third phase of general elections today.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa visits Hucharaya Swamy temple in Shikaripura, in Shimoga district.

14 Lok Sabha constituencies to vote in third phase of elections today.

People queue up outside polling station number 224 in Assam's Dhubri to cast their votes. Four parliamentary constituencies of the state are undergoing polling today.

Polling for third phase of Lok Sabha elections in 116 Lok Sabha constituencies across 14 states, UTs begins.

About 18.56 crore voters are eligible for voting in the third phase of the elections, for which 2.10 lakh polling booths/stations have been set up. The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took to Twitter and urged all those voting today for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections to vote in record numbers. The prime minister also said he will be voting in Ahmedabad in a short while.

Visuals from a polling station in Uttara Kannada parliamentary constituency in Karnataka.

Visuals of preparation from polling booth number 162 in Sayajigunj of Vadodara in Gujarat. Voting for the third phase of elections begins at 7 AM today.

Preparations are underway at polling station number 224 in Assam's Dhubri, ahead of the third phase of elections. Voting begins at 7 AM today. 

Visuals from polling booth number 161 in Kerala's Pinarayi and Kannur as preparations are underway ahead of the third phase of elections. Voting begins at 7 AM today. 

Preparations are underway at polling station numbers 175 and 181 in Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. Voting for the third phase of elections will begin at 7 AM today. 

Visuals of preparation from polling station number 135 in Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. Voting for the third phase of elections will begin at 7 AM today.

Preparations are underway at polling station numbers 195 and 196 in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. Voting for the third phase of elections will begin at 7 AM today. 

Hello and welcome to our election live updates. The third phase of polling for the world's biggest election is set to begin shortly in India. Polling will be held across 116 constituencies in 14 states and Union Territories.