Live Phase 7 polling concludes; countdown to May 23 begins | As it happened on May 19

DMK+ may get 17 seats in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK 8, Congress 6, BJP 2, PMK 2, Others 3

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UDF predicted to get 14 seats in Kerala, LDF 5, NDA 1

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BJP expected to get 6 seats in Odisha, BJD 15

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BJP predicted to get 17 seats in Karnataka, Congress 8, JDS 3 

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Congress may get 6 seats in Chhattisgarh, BJP 5

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National Conference expected to win 3 seats in J&K, BJP to come out on top on 2 seats

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Bharatiya Janata Party expected to come out as the dominant force in Haryana with 9 seats

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Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 3 pm -  52.15%

Bihar - 53.36%

Himachal Pradesh - 66.65%

Madhya Pradesh - 69.36%

Punjab - 59.00%

Uttar Pradesh - 55.52%

West Bengal - 73.40%

Jharkhand - 70.97%

Chandigarh - 63.57%

Bharatiya Janata Party are expected to clean sweep Delhi with 7 out of 7 seats as per India TV-CNX Exit Poll 2019.

For Live Updates follow: India TV-CNX Exit Poll 2019 Live Updates

EXIT POLLS ARE OUT 

Follow our India TV-CNX exit polls live blog: Countdown to May 23: All eyes on India TV-CNX Exit Poll

In a press conference, Election Commission says, "Polling has concluded in 542 parliamentary constituencies across states and union territories."

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 3 pm -  52.15%

Bihar - 48.27%

Himachal Pradesh - 57.63%

Madhya Pradesh - 60.42%

Punjab - 51.90%

Uttar Pradesh - 48.29%

West Bengal - 65.71%

Jharkhand - 66.64%

Chandigarh - 51.18%

Follow our India TV-CNX exit polls live blog: Countdown to May 23: All eyes on India TV-CNX Exit Poll

The Election Commission arranged for a palanquin for a 40-year-old differently abled voter in Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. Naresh Chand, the voter, exercised his right to vote.

102-yr old Shyam Saran Negi, 1st voter of Independent India, cast his vote for #LokSabhaElections2019 in Kalpa, Kinnaur earlier today.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 3 pm -  52.15%

Bihar - 46.66%

Himachal Pradesh - 56.55%

Madhya Pradesh - 59.38%

Punjab - 48.74%

Uttar Pradesh - 46.58%

West Bengal - 63.66%

Jharkhand - 64.81%

Chandigarh - 51.18%

Follow our India TV-CNX exit polls live blog: Countdown to May 23: All eyes on India TV-CNX Exit Poll

Follow our India TV-CNX exit polls live blog: Countdown to May 23: All eyes on India TV-CNX Exit Poll

Kolkata: Former Indian cricket team Captain Sourav Ganguly cast his vote at a polling booth in Barisha Janakalyan Vidyapith earlier today.

Chandigarh voter turnout jumps to 51.18% in the last phase of Lok Sabha Election 2019. 

Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek O' Brien has alleged that the central forces were "brutally torturing" and "intimidating" voters in West Bengal and acting as per orders of BJP leaders.

One injured following clashes in two groups outside polling booth number 122 in Talwandi Sabo; police say, "poll violence took place here, one person opened fire. We've recorded statements and registered a case. Polling has resumed". 

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 3 pm -  49.58%

Bihar - 45.47%

Himachal Pradesh - 47.31%

Madhya Pradesh - 54.19%

Punjab - 46.43%

Uttar Pradesh - 45.02%

West Bengal - 58.44%

Jharkhand - 61.45%

Chandigarh - 37.50%

Visuals from the world's highest polling station at Tashigang in Lahaul-Spiti, a part of Mandi Parliamentary constituency.

West Bengal: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Barasat and candidate from the same constituency, argues with security personnel at a polling booth in Barasat. 

Two centres have been set up here for counting of votes in the Jammu Lok Sabha seat on May 23, a senior official said on Sunday, asserting that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth and peaceful exercise.

The constituency, spread over four districts and covering a total of 20 assembly segments with over 20 lakh electorate, recorded 72.16 per cent polling in this general election, sealing the fate of 24 candidates.

Returning officer Ramesh Kumar, along with senior police and civil officers, visited the counting centres set up at Government Polytechnic and MAM College on Saturday and reviewed the arrangements.

The counting centre established at the Government Polytechnic College would cover 11 assembly segments -- Samba, Vijaypur, Nagrota, Jammu East, R S Pura, Suchetgarh, Marh, Raipur Domana, Surankote, Mendhar and Poonch Haveli.

The counting centres of MAM college Jammu would cover nine assembly constituencies -- Gandhinagar, Jammu West, Bishnah, Akhnoor, Chhamb, Nowshera, Darhal, Rajouri and Kalakote, an official spokesman said.

The BJP Sunday urged the Election Commission to order the presence of central armed police forces in West Bengal till the Model Code of Conduct period ends, as it expressed concern that the state's ruling TMC may target a section of voters after polling is over.

BJP leader and Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that elections in six of the nine seats, which have undergone elections on Sunday, were marred by violence.

Citing media reports and other feedback, she said BJP candidates have been attacked and accused Trinamool Congress (TMC)workers of not letting voters, who are opposed to the Mamata Banerjee-led party, enter polling booths.

"The EC should take cognisance of it. Since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been openly talking about revenge, TMC workers have been beating up people and we are afraid that they will start targeting voters after the polls are over. The central armed police forces should be there till the end of the Model Code of Conduct," she said.

Patna: Conjoined sisters Saba and Farah cast their votes as separate individuals with independent voting rights for the first time.

West Bengal: TMC candidate from Basirhat, Nusrat Jahan, greets people after casting her vote in the constituency.

MP: 37 visually-impaired women cast their votes at a polling booth in Green Field School, Indore.

Delhi: Re-polling at booth number-32, Daryaganj.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 2 pm -  41.44%

Bihar - 36.20

Himachal Pradesh - 44.11

Madhya Pradesh - 46.03

Punjab - 37.89

Uttar Pradesh - 37.00

West Bengal - 49.87

Jharkhand - 52.89

Chandigarh - 37.50

West Bengal: TMC leader Madan Mitra, party's candidate for the bypoll to Bhatpara Assembly seat, argues with security personnel at a polling booth in the assembly constituency.

Following Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation that his own security detail could assassinate him as in the case of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Delhi unit of the BJP has written to the Delhi Police demanding the withdrawal of the Kejriwal's security cover.

The Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, on Sunday, wrote a letter to the Delhi Commissioner of Police, the Union Home Ministry and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi demanding the withdrawal of the security cover provided to the Chief Minister of the national capital.

"Delhi Police should seek an apology from Arvind Kejriwal and if he does not apologise, then the Chief Minister's security cover be withdrawn," Kapoor wrote in the letter.

Names of Rajya Sabha members, who moved an impeachment motion against a high court judge, and those who withdrew it can't be disclosed as it would be a breach of parliamentary privilege, the Central Information Commission has held.

Chief Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava gave this order on a petition filed by S Malleswara Rao, who had sought to know from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat the number of MPs who had signed and moved the impeachment against Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy, and those who withdrew it.

Reddy retired from the Hyderabad High Court last year.

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat had cited Section 8(1) (c) of the RTI Act to deny the information.

The section exempts from disclosure information which can cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or a state legislature.

Political parties have spent over Rs 53 crore on digital platforms like Google and Facebook between February and May, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for a lion's share of the spending.

According to Facebook's Ad Library Report, there were 1.21 lakh political ads with a total spending of more than Rs 26.5 crore between February and May 15 this year.

Similarly, ad spend on Google, YouTube, and partner properties since February 19 stood at Rs 27.36 crore with 14,837 ads.

Ruling party BJP spent Rs 4.23 crore on over 2,500 ads on Facebook.

Supporting pages like 'My First Vote for Modi', 'Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat' and 'Nation with NaMo' too, infused over Rs 4 crore on ads on the social networking platform that has well over 200 million users in India.

On Google's platforms, it has spent more than Rs 17 crore.

Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya Sunday wrote to the Election Commission, saying the media coverage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kedarnath was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

He said he has requested the poll panel to stop the media coverage of Modi's trip and take stern action.

"The way he (Modi) ensured media coverage of his trip to Kedarnath temple is nothing but a violation of MCC. His trip is all over the media. Is this not a way to directly and indirectly influence voters ahead of polls," Bhattacharya said.

Madhya Pradesh: Bride, groom along with their family cast their votes at a polling station in Indore.

There is no war of words with Navjot Singh Sidhu, if he is ambitious, it's fine, people have ambitions. I have known him since childhood, I have no difference of opinion with him. He probably wants to become CM and replace me, that is his business: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Anupam Hazra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from West Bengal's Jadavpur seat, and a party leader accompanying him were attacked and the latter's car damaged after the two visited a booth on receiving reports of rigging.

Alleging that he was pushed and shoved, Hazra accused the Trinamool Congress of rigging all 52 polling booths under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation ward number 109 in Jadavpur.

"There has been rampant rigging in all 52 booths under ward number 109. When I reached the Helen Keller School booth, where all three of our polling agents were driven out, I was also pushed and shoved.

"The BJP Mandal president was hit and one of his tooth was broken. A CISF officer stationed at the booth was also injured in the attack by the Trinamool," Hazra told the media.

The mob vandalised the Mandal president's car and broke its windows.

The Trinamool, however, denied the allegations.

Work in Varanasi being carried out on a temporary basis, nothing permanent: Congress' Ajay Rai, contesting against PM Narendra Modi from the Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Rabri Devi takes a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kedarnath Yatra, says, "it's time for him to retire."

Several Union ministers, including Vijay Goel, Prakash Javadekar, Nirmala Sitaraman and Sushma Swaraj, have not cleared dues on their official bungalows till February, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said.

Replying to an RTI query, the ministry said Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh also have outstanding payments on their bungalows.

These dues concern furniture and other things provided at the bungalows, an official of the ministry said.

The amounts for Naqvi and Singh are around Rs 1.46 lakh and Rs 3.18 lakh respectively for the same period, according to the ministry.
The reply, dated April 26, came on an RTI application filed by Ajit Kumar Singh.

Two election officials deputed at different polling booths in Uttar Pradesh died on duty Sunday, officials said. Rajaram, 56, was a polling officer of booth number 381 at Prathmik Vidhyalay Madhopur in Pipraich area under the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, assistant election officer JN Maurya said.

He was rushed to Pipraich community health centre where he was declared dead.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, he said.

In the Bansgaon parliamentary constituency, Vinod Srivastav (50), deputed at polling booth number 219, died around 12 midnight due to cardiac attack.
He was an employee with the sugarcane department.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, Maurya said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu meets CPI (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

UP: Senior BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi casts his vote at a polling booth in Varanasi.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 1 pm - 36.45%

Bihar - 33.24

Himachal Pradesh - 31.12

Madhya Pradesh - 38.89

Punjab - 33.90

Uttar Pradesh - 33.16

West Bengal - 43.25

Jharkhand - 51.81

Chandigarh - 35.60

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh casts his vote at polling booth no. 89 in Patiala.

Residents of the Tara Jivanpur village here have alleged that some people forcibly applied ink on their fingers and gave them Rs 500 each on Saturday evening. They were told not to go for polling on Sunday.

"They were from the BJP and said that they will vote on our behalf," said one of the villagers.

Members of the SP-BSP alliance sat on a dharna at the Ali Nagar police station protesting the incident.

Circle Officer In-charge Sadar Tripurari Pandey said the culprits had escaped by the time the police reached the village after receiving information. An FIR has been registered against three people in the matter.

State BJP President Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey is seeking a second term from Chandauli. He is pitted against SP-BSP alliance candidate Sanjay Chauhan Congress nominee Shiv Kanya Kushwaha from the constituency.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday urged people to vote to strengthen the democracy as the state's four Lok Sabha seats -- Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra -- cast their vote in the seventh and final phase of polling of the Lok Sabha elections.

"Voting is our important responsibility. I urge all the voters of the state to join this grand festival of democracy and vote. Your precious vote will strengthen democracy," he tweeted.

Flanked by his wife and two daughters, Thakur cast his vote at Bharari in the Seraj Assembly constituency of Mandi district.

Karnataka: BJP Candidate from Kundgol Assembly Constituency, SI Chikkanagowdar casts his vote at a polling booth in Adargunchi, Dharwad in the by-polls to the seat. 

Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar cast his vote, along with his family, at the Mirganj Primary School of Balia on Sunday. He said the SP-BSP alliance will get a massive victory in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Rajbhar, who claims to have walked out of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh miffed over denial of seats of his choice in the state, has fielded 39 candidates for seats in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phases.

"No party will get a majority in these elections. But the SP-BSP alliance will get a massive victory in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh). Without our support the BJP will suffer losses in at least 30 seats in Purvanchal. It is losing Balia, Gorakhpur and Ghazipur seats," said Rajbhar.

He predicted that the saffron party will only win 15 seats in the state. "The SP-BSP alliance will win 55-60 seats, while the Congress will gets 2-3 seats," he added. 

My bouncers have not done anything. I was leaving after casting my vote when a photographer hit the windscreen of my car. I have filed an FIR in the incident. A conspiracy is being hatched to kill me: Tej Pratap Yadav in Patna.

Bihar: Congress candidate from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency, Shatrughan Sinha casts his vote at polling booth no.339 in St. Severin's School, Kadam Kuan, Patna.

Bihar: Tej Pratap Yadav's personal security guards beat a camera person in Patna after he allegedly broke the windscreen of Yadav's car. Tej Pratap Yadav was leaving after casting his vote. Yadav has filed an FIR in the incident.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu Sunday held a second round of talks with top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar, in an apparent bid to rally support for a non-BJP government at the Centre.

Naidu, who arrived in the national capital on Friday, had met Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party chief Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and leaders of the Communist Party of India on Saturday as well.

He had then flew to Lucknow and met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

Sunday's meeting assumes significance as Naidu is meeting Gandhi and Pawar after holding talks with the SP and BSP chiefs, who have not openly come in favour of an opposition alliance so far.

The TDP chief's deliberations are part of his efforts to unite non-NDA parties and bring them together on one platform to stake their claim for next government formation in case the NDA fails to get the majority mark.

Voters boycotted polling at six booths in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday over some local issues, a senior election official said. Efforts were on to pursuade the voters to exercise their democratic right, MP's Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao told reporters.

Polling was underway in the eight constituencies of Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa since 7 am, he said.

However, voters listed at a booth in Agar Malwa district falling under the Dewas seat and five booths in Mandsaur seat boycotted the polling over some of theirdemands, Rao said, without elaborating further.

The presiding officer of a polling booth in UP's Gorakhpur died while he was on duty early morning Sunday, officials said. Rajaram, 56, was the presiding officer of booth number 381 at Prathmik Vidhyalay Madhopur in Pipraich.

He was rushed to Pipraich community health centre, where he was declared dead, Assistant election officer J N Maurya said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, he said. 

By and large elections have been peaceful in the state, 1 incident of murder was reported from Tarn-Taran but the initial police report says it was a case of personal enmity; Law and Order situation peaceful. We'll defeat both BJP and Akali Dal: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. 

102-year old Shyam Saran Negi from Himachal Pradesh's Kalpa, casts his vote. He had cast the first vote in the 1951 general elections.

Himachal Pradesh: A groom along with his family casts his vote at polling booth number 8 in Manali parliamentary constituency.

UP: Union Minister and BJP leader Manoj Sinha casts his vote at a polling booth in Ghazipur.

UP: Congress candidate from Kushinagar, RPN Singh casts his vote at a polling booth.

West Bengal: BJP candidate for Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, Nilanjan Roy's car vandalised in Dongaria area of the constituency.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 12 pm - 25.48%

Bihar - 18.90

Himachal Pradesh - 27.79

Madhya Pradesh - 29.48

Punjab - 23.45

Uttar Pradesh - 23.16

West Bengal - 32.15

Jharkhand - 31.39

Chandigarh - 22.30

Punjab Minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, cast their votes at booth number-134 in Amritsar.

Punjab: Three injured in clashes between Akali Dal and Congress workers in Pahra village falling under Gurdaspur Lok Sabha Constituency.

TMC goons have beaten up a BJP mandal president, a driver and attacked a car. We also rescued our 3 polling agents. They were going to carry out rigging at 52 booths. They are not allowing people to vote for BJP: BJP MP candidate Anupam Hazra in Jadavpur

Bihar: Locals boycott elections at booth number-299 in Chandora village, Rajgir Block of Nalanda District, say, "No roads, No votes." EVM and Block Development Officer's car vandalised.

Stones were pelted at BJP's Kolkata North candidate Rahul Sinha near a polling station at Park Circus area in West Bengal on Sunday. The leader escaped unharmed.

A camera person of a local news channel though sustained a minor injury to the head in the incident.

According to state BJP sources, Sinha was attacked while coming out of a polling station near Park Circus Bridge where polling was going on for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP leader was safely escorted out of the area by the security personnel and central force officials after the incident.

The Naga People's Front (NPF) has decided to withdraw support to the BJP-led government in Manipur, a senior party leader said Sunday.

NPF Manipur state unit president Awangbou Newmai Sunday told PTI that "they were forced to take the decision to withdraw support as bigger parties were looking down upon smaller parties."

He, however, said though the decision to withdraw support has been taken, it will be implemented after the entire electioneering process is complete on May 23.

A senior BJP leader said on Sunday that if the NPF withdraws support it will not have any effect on the coalition government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday paid obeisance and performed puja at Badrinath temple on the second day of his two-day visit to Uttarakhand.

He reached Badrinath after spending around 20 hours in the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath.

Modi offered prayers at innermost sanctum in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand's 'char dham' religious circuit, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Karnataka: One dead in an explosion outside the residence of Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA, Munirathna, in Vyalikaval. Police present at the spot, probe underway.

West Bengal: Women TMC workers with covered faces are casting proxy votes, it is difficult to establish their identity. When we raised an objection to it, they created a ruckus at the polling station: BJP MP candidate Anupam Hazra at polling booth number 150/137 in Jadavpur.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 11 am - 20.54%

Bihar - 18.90

Himachal Pradesh - 16.92

Madhya Pradesh - 20.95

Punjab - 19.69

Uttar Pradesh - 18.05

West Bengal - 26.07

Jharkhand - 27.71

Chandigarh - 18.70

West Bengal: Additional forces arrive at polling station number 189 in Basirhat. BJP MP candidate from Basirhat, Sayantan Basu has alleged that TMC workers are not allowing people to cast their vote.

Himachal Pradesh: BJP MP Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal cast their votes in Hamirpur.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hailed the role played by women in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections not just as candidates but also as voters and said that their voices must be heard.

"Today is the seventh and last phase of polling. Our mothers and sisters have played a key role in these elections, not just as candidates, but also as committed voters whose voices must be heard. I salute them all," Gandhi tweeted, attaching a video supporting equal opportunities for women.

Donning a turban, BJP's Gurdaspur candidate and actor Sunny Deol on Sunday visited polling stations to oversee the polling process. Outside a booth in the Fatehgarh Churian area, he was seen greeting voters with folded hands.

Jumping a barricade, when a young voter requested for a photograph, the star obliged.

The actor-turned-politician is pitted against state Congress President Sunil Jakhar from here in Punjab. It has been represented four times earlier by yesteryear actor Vinod Khanna, who died in April 2017 due to cancer.

Jakhar won the October 2017 bye-election with a margin of 1.92 lakh votes. The bypoll was necessitated by Khanna's death.

Gurdaspur lies in the north of Punjab, sharing an international border with Pakistan and the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir. The area is not as developed as other areas in Punjab.

The constituency, which has 14,68,972 voters, including 72,6363 women, has nine Assembly constituencies.

Madhya Pradesh: Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan casts her vote at a polling booth in Indore.

Congress has brought their goons here, who checked cars yesterday. We complained to poll officials but no action was taken. In Bathinda Rural, our worker Titu Randhawa was attacked: Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Badal village.

West Bengal: Voters allege TMC workers not allowing them to cast their vote; stage protest outside polling booth number 189 in Basirhat. 

BJP MP candidate from Basirhat, Sayantan Basu says, "100 people were stopped from voting. We will take them to cast their vote."

Re-polling in Kerala's Kannur and Kasargode Lok Sabha seats was underway on Sunday after it was ordered by the state's Chief Electoral Officer following complaints of bogus voting which was later verified.

Voting in four polling booths in Kasargode and three in Kannur began at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m.

As of 9 a.m., 20 per cent voter turnout was recorded the two constituencies.

Kerala had voted on April 23 to elect 20 Lok Sabha candidates. A few days later, there were visuals of people casting votes more than once was identified, prompting CEO Teeka Ram Meena to order the re-polls.

Himachal Pradesh: BJP MP Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal wait in a queue outside a polling booth in Hamirpur, to cast their votes.

Overall voter turnout across 59 constituencies till 10 am - 11.75%

Bihar - 10.65

Himachal Pradesh - 12.27

Madhya Pradesh - 13.19

Punjab - 10.01

Uttar Pradesh - 10.35

West Bengal - 14.95

Jharkhand - 15.00

Chandigarh - 10.40 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur casts his vote at polling station number 36 in Mandi district. 

Trinamool Congress writes to Election Commission, states, 'Election campaign for the last phase of polling for Lok Sabha polls is over, surprisingly Narendra Modi's Kedarnath Yatra is being widely covered by the media for the last 2 days. This is a gross violation of model code of conduct.'

West Bengal: No voting in 3 hours at booth 53 in Sonarpur of Jadavpur constituency

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday appealed to voters to vote for peace as 59 constituencies went to poll in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections.

"I call upon the people of Punjab to vote and to make their vote count. It's time to choose between @BJP4India and @INCIndia to preserve the secular fabric of India that is threatened by divisive forces of hatred. Let's vote for the peace, progress and stability that only Congress can deliver.

Voting is underway for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats and the lone seat of its capital Chandigarh amid tight security in the seventh and final phase of the general elections.

He would be in Patiala to cast his vote later in the day.

West Bengal: Mohammed Salim, CPI (Marxist) candidate from Raiganj Parliamentary constituency, casts his vote at a polling booth in St. Thomas' Girls School, Kolkata.

Facts about seventh and final phase of polling 

Polling underway in 8 states and union territories

59 constituencies with over 10 crore voters

918 candidates in fray

1,12,993 polling stations

By this evening, except Vellore in Tamil Nadu, elections would be over in all constituencies

Vellore polls cancelled following excess use of money power. Fresh date to be announced

The Congress on Sunday urged the people to cast their vote in the last phase of general elections to make the country "liberal" and "progressive".

The appeal came as polling began for the final phase of Lok Sabha polls in 59 seats to decide the fate of 918 candidates including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to retain the Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh.

"Do vote in the last phase of general elections to make the country liberal and progressive," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

"One vote, will make the future of the youth empowered. One vote, will take farmers towards loan waiver. One vote, will take small traders towards profit. One vote, will get the deprived 'Nyay' (justice)," he said.

My workers at different booths called me last night and said they have been threatened of murder by TMC's 'jihadi' brigade, over sitting as booth agents for BJP. No difference between terrorist organisation and TMC: BJP's CK Bose

Tamil Nadu: 103-year-old woman casts her vote in Sulur.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development and BJP's candidate from Punjab's Amritsar Lok Sabha seat Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said that the election campaign was spirited and yet dignified.

"Met my colleague in Parliament Sardar Gurjeet Singh Ji Aujla at Sri Durbar Sahib Ji this morning," he tweeted along with photos in which he was seen sharing pleasantries and exchanging notes with Aujla.

Puri, 69, in his electoral debut, is pitted against Congress incumbent MP Aujla.

"The campaign was spirited and yet dignified," Puri wrote.

"May our country continue on its path of glory and unprecedented development," he said.

Chandigarh: Congress MP candidate from Chandigarh, Pawan Kumar Bansal, casts his vote at booth no 228, Government Model High School, Sector 28 C. 

Punjab: Former Union Minister and Congress candidate from Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency, Manish Tewari casts his vote at Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reacts to Sadhvi Pragya Singh's statement 'Godse is patriot', says, "It is condemnable. What action the party takes is their internal matter. We should not tolerate such a statement."

Chandigarh records 10.40% of voting till 9 am 

Voter turnout till 9 am in Jharkhand - 15%

Rajmahal - 14.33

Dumka - 13.83

Godda - 16.51

Voter turnout till 9 am in West Bengal - 14.22%

Dum Dum - 16.57

Barasat - 14.78

Basirhat - 15.67

Joynagar - 11.43

Mathurapur - 15.68

Diamond harbour - 13.32

Jadavpur - 17.11

Kolkata Dakshin - 11.92

Kolkata Uttar - 11.08

Voter turnout till 9 am in Uttar Pradesh - 8.29%

Maharajganj - 13.21

Gorakhpur - 9.04

Kushi Nagar - 11.86

Deoria - 11.10

Bansgaon - 9.57

Ghosi - 9.15

Salempur - 9.12

Ballia - 5.39

Ghazipur - 0.00

Chandauli - 9.62

Varanasi - 10.87

Mirzapur - 0.00

Robertsganj - 9.09

Voter turnout till 9 am in Punjab - 8.67%

Gurdaspur - 9.94

Amritsar - 6.86

Khadoor Sahib - 8.02

Jalandhar - 9.52

Hoshiarpur - 9.03

Anandpur Sahib - 9.18

Ludhiana - 4.94

Fatehgarh Sahib - 7.80

Faridkot - 6.59

Firozpur - 7.51

Bathinda - 10.06

Sangrur - 11.14

Patiala - 11.91

Voter turnout till 9 am in Madhya Pradesh - 10.77%

Dewas - 14.44

Ujjain - 11.68

Mandsour - 14.64

Ratlam - 12.03

Dhar - 3.21

Indore - 9.43

Khargone - 10.45

Khandwa - 10.80

Voter turnout till 9 am in Himachal Pradesh - 1.29%

Kangra - 0.09

Mandi - 1.79

Hamirpur - 3.30

Shimla - 1.27

Voter turnout till 9 am in Bihar - 10.65%

Nalanda - 10.26

Patna Sahib - 10.73

Pataliputra - 10.37

Arrah - 11.07

Buxar - 10.80

Sasaram (SC) - 11.58

Karakat - 9.63

Jahanabad - 10.73

59 constituencies across 7 states and 1 Union Territory record 7.48% overall voter turnout till 9 am 

West Bengal: Voting delayed at 3 booths in Nagerbazar area (DumDum)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cast his ballot here on Sunday and said the walls of casteism, regionalism and dynastic politics were now showing cracks.

After casting his vote, Adityanath told the media: "If you work in the interest of the country then only you can stay in the public life. In all the seven phases of the Lok Sabha polls, the entire election was fought around Modi due to the works of his government in the last five years."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that a record number of voters participated in the six phases of the elections.

"The excitement among voters only showcases the maturity of India's democracy," he said.

"And I am happy that the elections so far has been peaceful and the people of the state have respected their democratic right," he added.

Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya casts his vote at polling booth number 316 in Indore.

Bihar: Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad casts his vote at booth no. 77 in Patna Women's College.

Uttarakhand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at devotees at Kedarnath temple.

Voting is underway for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh amid tight security.

Voting began at 7 a.m., across 25,874 polling booths in the Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj constituencies.

There are a total of 42 candidates are in the fray whose fate will be decided by 2.32 crore voters -- 1.26 crore male and 1.06 crore female.

In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their allies had won all the 13 seats. But the saffron party lost the prestigious Gorakhpur seat in the 2018 by-polls.

The BJP is facing a direct challenge from the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance on 10 seats while two - Kushinagar and Deoria - are in for a triangular contest with the Congress. Congress with its ally is contesting on 12 seats.

The saffron party is contesting on 11 Lok Sabha seats in the seventh phase, while its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) is contesting in Mirzapur, currently held by Union Minister Anupriya Patel, and Robertsganj.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to reporters in Kedarnath, says, "I'm grateful to the Election Commission to allow me to visit the holy shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath."

"Nature, environment and tourism are the main areas of development here and we are working on those," the prime minister said in Kedarnath.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's nephew and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee casts his vote at polling booth no. 208 in South Kolkata Parliamentary Constituency. 

"Whatever he (PM) said in meeting on 15th May in Diamond Harbour, he has to substantiate those statements with ample proof and justify what he said," he said.

"If he fails to do so, I'll sue him in the criminal and defamation cases. I'll drag him to the court and do the needful," Abhishek Banerjee added.

Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Sunday appealed to voters here to exercise their franchise as Chandigarh went to polls in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

The actor had been campaigning for his wife and BJP candidate Kirron Kher, who is seeking re-election from Chandigarh.

"Your vote is precious. Please vote," Anupam tweeted.

The Lok Sabha seat is witnessing a triangular contest among four-time MP and Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal, 70, Kirron, 66, and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan, 78, of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

All the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh went to the polls amid tight security on Sunday in the seventh and final phase of general elections.

Electors across the state could be seen reaching polling stations even before the voting began at 7 a.m. in the morning.

"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," Chief Electoral Officer Devesh Kumar said. 

The main contest is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Forty-five candidates are in the fray for the four seats -- Shimla (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur.

Of the 7,730 polling booths in the state, seven have been set up especially for senior citizens in Bara Bhangal and Dari in Kangra district and Key in Lahaul-Spiti district. Lahaul-Spiti is one of the most rugged, inhospitable terrains in the state.

Voting in the by-elections for four Tamil Nadu Assembly constituencies -- Aravakuruchi, Sulur, Thiruparankundram and Ottapidaram -- began on Sunday morning.

Similarly, repolling in the 13 booths in Erode, Dharmapuri, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu started at 7 a.m.

Voters in these four constituencies will decide the electoral fate of 137 candidates in the fray.

However, the main contest will be between the ruling AIADMK, principal opposition party DMK, and an Independent legislator T.T.V.Dhinakaran-floated AMMK party.

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan's party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) candidates are also in the contention.

By-elections for 18 Assembly constituencies were held on April 18 along with the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Polling began on Sunday at 7 a.m. for three Lok Sabha seats of Jharkhand. The polling is taking place in the parliamentary constituencies of Rajmahal, Dumka and Godda. Rajmahal and Dumka are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

There are a total of 42 candidates are in the fray whose fate will be decided by 45,64,681 lakh voters including 23,64,541 male and 22,00,119 female.

The polling is taking place at 6,258 polling booths.

Prominent candidates who are in the race are Vijay Hansda of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) from Rajmahal and Hemlal Murmu of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also from Rajmahal, and Shibu Soren of JMM and Sunil Soren of BJP from Dumka.

In Godda Lok Sabha seat, Pradeep Yadav of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM-P) is pitted against sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

West Bengal: BJP Lok Sabha candidate from South Kolkata parliamentary constituency, CK Bose casts his vote at a polling booth in City College, in Kolkata.

Polling began on Sunday in Karnataka's two assembly segments - Chincholi and Kundgol, amid tight security. Of the total booths, 60 have been declared critical in Chincholi and 25 in Kundgol. The polling will end at 6 p.m.

Of the total voters, 1,93,869 are in Chincholi and 1,89,313 in Kundgol. As many as 25 candidates, including 4 women are in the fray for the twin by-elections.

There are 17 candidates in Chincholi in Kalaburagi district and 8 in Kundgol in Dharwad district.

Prominent candidates for Chincholi are Avinash Umesh Jadhav of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Subhash V. Rathod of the Congress and Gautam Bomnalli of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Avinash is the son of Umesh Jadhav, whose resignation from the seat as a rebel Congress legislator necessitated the by-election.

In the Kundgol contest, Kusumavati Channabasappa is contesting from the Congress against S.I. Chikkanagoudar of the BJP. The remaining 6, including a woman are Independents.

Death of Congress Minister for Municipalities C.S. Shivalli on March 22 necessitated the by-poll. The Congress has fielded his widow Kusumavati to retain the seat on sympathy vote.

A three-time legislator, Chikkanagoudar lost to Shivalli by a narrow margin of 633 votes in the May 2018 state assembly elections.

Vote count is on May 23 along with that of 28 Lok Sabha seats for which polling was held in two phase on April 18 and April 23 after a hectic campaign.

Voting began on Sunday amid tight security for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the seventh and last phase of elections. Long queues of men and women were seen outside the polling booths. There were also some reports of glitches in the EVMs.

The voting is underway in the fertile belt along the river Ganga and historical places like ruins of ancient university of Nalanda.

More than 1,52,52,608 voters will decide the fate of 157 candidates in Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Nalanda, Sasaram, Karakat and Jehanabad constituencies.

Of all the candidates in the fray in the final round of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the main focus will be on four Union Ministers who are facing tough battles.

The four Ministers are Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ram Kripal Yadav, Ashwini Choubey and R.K. Singh. 

Cricketer Harbhajan Singh was among the first to cast his vote on Sunday at a polling booth in this Punjab's town. The spinner appealed to voters not to miss "an opportunity" to exercise their franchise.

At the same time, he clarified to the media that he has no plan to enter politics.

"There are too many seasoned people in the politics. So I have no plan," he said.

Earlier, there were talks that the Bharatiya Janata Party contacted the 38-year-old cricketer to field him from the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency.

Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats and the lone seat of its capital Chandigarh went to the polls amid tight security in the seventh and final phase of general elections.

West Bengal: Kolkata North BJP candidate Rahul Sinha casts his vote at polling booth in Bijoygarh Shikshaniketan, in Jadavpur.

Polling began at 7 am all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab and the lone Chandigarh constituency in the seventh and final phase of general elections, with prominent faces including SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Puri in the fray.

Over 2.07 crore voters in Punjab are eligible to exercise their franchise in the election in which 278 candidates, including 24 women, are in the fray.

Besides Sukhbir Badal, his wife and Union minister Harsimrat Badal is seeking re-election from Bathinda for the third time. Union minister and BJP candidate Puri is contesting from Amritsar seat.

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol is making his electoral debut from Gurdaspur constituency against Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar.

AAP's Bhagwant Mann is trying his luck from Sangrur seat.

Voting for the bypoll to the Panaji assembly constituency, which was necessitated due to the death of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar in March, began at 7 am. 

As many as 22,482 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the constituency which covers areas including the state capital and has 30 polling stations.

Parrikar, who passed away on March 17 battling pancreatic ailment, had represented the constituency for nearly two-and-a-half decades since 1994.

Six candidates, including two Independents, are in the fray for the bye-election.

The BJP, which has dominated the constituency, has nominated Siddharth Kunkolienkar as its candidate. The saffron party is fighting to retain its hold over the constituency considered as its fiefdom.

Tamil Nadu: Voting underway for by-election to the Sulur assembly constituency. 

Punjab: Cricketer Harbhajan Singh waits in queue to cast his vote at a polling booth in Jalandhar's Garhi village.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi casts his vote at booth number 49 in Patna.

Bihar: EVM malfunction reported at booth number 50 in Patna's Rajendra Nagar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar casts his vote in Patna, says, "Elections should not be held over such a long duration, there was a long gap between each phase of voting."

"I will write to leaders of all parties to build a consensus on this," he adds. 

A day after offering prayers at Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Badrinath today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to vote in record numbers. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar casts his vote in Patna. 

Key candidates from Varanasi 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress' Ajay Rai, Samajwadi Party's Shalini Yadav

Key candidates from Gorakhpur 
BJP's Ravi Kishan, Samajwadi Party's Rambhual Nishad, Congress' Madhusudan Tripathi

Key candidates from Gazipur
BJP's Manoj Sinha, BSP's Afzal Ansari

Key candidates from Mirzapur
Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel, Congress' Lalitesh Tripathi, SP's Rajendra Bind

Violence in West Bengal's Bhatpara as clashes erupt between workers of BJP and TMC. Two cars set ablaze. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath casts his vote in Gorakhpur. 

Polling for seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections begins. Fate of 918 candidates including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to retain the Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh, will be decided. 

Over 10.01 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. The Election Commission has set up more than 1.12 lakh polling stations and has deployed security personnel for smooth conduct of polls.

Jharkhand: People queue up outside polling station number 36, 37, 38 and 39 in Dumka Lok Sabha constituency, to cast their votes.

West Bengal: People queue up outside polling station no. 152/41 and 152/47 in South Kolkata to cast their votes.

UP: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offers prayers at Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.

Bihar: Polling preparations underway at booth number 326 at a school in Raj Bhavan, Patna. CM Nitish Kumar will cast his vote here today. 

UP: Polling preparations underway at booth number 243-249 in Gorakhpur. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will cast his vote at booth no. 246 here.

Madhya Pradesh: Polling preparations underway at booth no. 321-325 in Indore's Nanda Nagar.

Punjab: Preparations underway at polling booth no. 25, 26, 27 at DAV Senior Secondary School, Hathi Gate in Amritsar.

Polling in 59 constituencies across 7 states and 1 Union Territory is slated to begin at 7 am.

Hello and welcome to our election live updates. The seventh and final phase of polling for the world's biggest election is set to begin shortly in India. Polling will be held in 59 constituencies across 7 states.