As soon as the first phase of the Lok Sabha elecrtions for three of West Bengal’s 42 seats began at 7 a.m. on Friday, reports of clashes between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bhartiye Janta Party (BJP) began to circulate.

An argument between workers and supporters of the two bitter rivals at Chandmari, close to CoochBehar town, resulted in at least one injury. Reports of stone stone pelting also cirrculated.

Anant Barman, a local TMC functionary, was reportedly injured in a crude bombing at Bhetaguri and was admitted to the hospital. the state minister Udayan Gandhi, raced to visit Barman in the hospital.

All three seat, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri, where the first phase of voting is taking place today, were won by the BJP in 2019. 15.2% of voters in CoochBehar, 15.91% in Alipurduar, and 14.13% in Jalpaiguri turned up till 9:00 am for voting.

The BJP and TMC both charged that the other was intimidating voters, keeping them from going to the polls, and attacking poll workers. It is stated that temporary electoral offices were set on fire in places like Toofanganj in Cooch Behar and Dabgram-Fulbari in Jalpaiguri.

The majority of calls regarding voter intimidation and poll violence, according to a representative of the West Bengal governor’s office, came from Cooch Behar.

Five people were killed in April 2021 during Cooch Behar assembly elections, one of them was a first-time voter. There have also been reports of clashes between state minister Udayan Guha and union minister Nisith Pramajick’s supporters.

Meanwhile, for complaints regarding electoral violence, the BJP has established a helpline at its office in Kolkata. TMC officials reported that Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary, was keeping an eye on the voting process from Kolkata.

Google unveiled a doodle today, with an inked index finger to commemorate the start of the voting for Indian Lok Sabha elections 2024. This symbolic image represents the country’s ongoing voting process as the general election’s first phase gets under way.

The nationwide availability of this doodle will encourage voters in different states to visit polling booths to cast their votes.

Google Doodles are quick, temporary updates to the Google logo that reflect various national and international topics, such as holidays, significant occasions, and influential people who have had a significant impact on society.

Users can engage in a range of engaging experiences with these Doodles because they are presented in a variety of formats, including photos, animations, slideshows, videos, and interactive games.

Meanwhile, the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA alliance are expected to engage in a fierce contest in this year. 102 constituencies are being covered by elections being held in 17 states and 4 Union Territories (UTs) during 1st phase of election. Over 16.63 crore eligible voters will have 1.87 lakh polling places set up for the first phase of voting. There are 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women, and 11,371 voters of a third gender among the eligible voters.

A total of 1625 candidates from various parties will contest in the first phase of elections. Nitin Gadkari, K Annamalai, Jitin Prasada, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Nakul Nath, Gaurav Gogoi, Imran Masood, Karti Chidambaram, Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Dayanidhi Maran are among the important candidates whose fates would be decided today.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that polling will take place from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. The results of the voting will pe announced on June 4, as per ECI.

Today, April 19, a number of states, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and portions of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Assam, and Bihar, will hold their first phase of elections.

Voting in Phase 2 is slated to take place on April 26. Phase 3 will take place on May 7, Phase 4 on May 13, Phase 5 on May 20, Phase 6 on May 25, and Phase 7 on June 1.

Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is taking place on 102 seats spread all over India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X and urged citizens to vote in record numbers. He said he particularly called upon the young and first time voters to vote in large numbers. He added that every vote counts and every voice matters.

Congress leader P Chidambaram and RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat cast their votes in Chennai and Nagpur, respectively. Chidambaram was confident that INDIA bloc will sweep all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also urged citizens to vote in large numbers and added that it is not only meant to determine the fate of a Lok Sabha or a candidate but also for shaping a bright future for the country.

He appealed to all the voters who are voting in this phase to vote in large numbers because every vote of theirs has the power to create a secure, developed, and self-reliant India. He appealed to the people to choose a strong and decisive leadership that has shown the determination to free the country from corruption, nepotism, and appeasement while fulfilling its promises.

In the first phase, elections are being held on all seats in Uttarakhand (5), Tamil Nadu (39), Meghalaya (2), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Mizoram (1), Puducherry (1), Nagaland (1), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1)   and Lakshadweep (1), Sikkim (1).  Besides, there is voting in 8 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 12 seats in Rajasthan, 4 in Bihar, 2 in Manipur, 3 in West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, and Chhattisgarh. Assembly elections are also taking place on 60 seats in Arunachal Pradesh and 32 seats in Sikkim.