Polling underway for 51 Lok Sabha seats in 5th phase

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Union Minister Smriti Irani accused Congress president Rahul Gandhi of “booth-capturing” as the polling is underway at Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in the fifth phase on Monday. More than 12 per cent voting was recorded in the fifth phase of polling across 51 constituencies in seven states till 9 am.

The separatists have called for a boycott of the vote in Kashmir and protesters threw stones at polling stations and at least one person was shot and wounded when police opened fire, police said. Militants also threw a grenade and a petrol bomb at polling stations but there were no injuries.

West Bengal recorded the highest with 14.85 per cent followed by Jharkhand (13.46 per cent), Rajasthan (13.37 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (11.79 per cent), Bihar (11.51 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (9.82 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (0.80 per cent).  Voting began at 7am across the 51 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over the seven states, largely in the Hindi heartland, in the fifth of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.