LS Election: 78.2% Turnout in Manipur, 81.8% in Tripura
This is the first general elections after the BJP’s formation of the Northeast Democratic Alliance in 2016.
In the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, Manipur recorded a 78.20 percent voter turnout till 5 pm. Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam witnessed 81.80, 62 and 68 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, Manipur witnessed 78.20 percent, Nagaland 78 percent and Mizoram 60 percent turnout.
In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the voter turnout stood at 50.87 percent and 55 percent, respectively at 3 pm.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal after voting said "people have already made their decision. Agli baar Modi sarkar." He cast his vote in Dibrugarh, one of the five constituencies in Assam that went to polls today.
Fourteen of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim are voting in the first of the seven phases of the elections.
In the last five years, the BJP has formed governments in Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, and is part of the ruling alliances in Nagaland and Meghalaya.
- Five constituencies from Assam and two seats each from Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are casting their ballot
- Some seats from Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim are voting today
- This is the first general election after the BJP formed the Northeast Democratic Alliance in 2016
Catch the live updates from constituencies voting in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, South India and the Northeast here.
For all the live updates from the Assembly elections in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, click here.
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14 Constituencies in Northeast Will Go to Polls
- Arunachal Pradesh: Twelve candidates will fight in the state’s single-phase election.
- Assam: Forty-one contestants will contest from five constituencies in the first phase. Assam is the only Northeast state to witness 2019 Lok Sabha polls in three phases. It will witness polling again on 18 April and 23 April.
- Manipur: Eight candidates will fight in the first phase. The state will again go for polls in the second phase.
- Meghalaya: A total of nine candidates will contest in the single-phase voting.
- Mizoram: Six candidates will fight from one constituency in the single-phase voting.
- Nagaland: Four candidates will contest from one constituency.
- Tripura: Thirteen candidates will be fighting from Tripura West. The state will again go for polls in the second phase on 18 April.
- Sikkim: Eleven candidates will contest from one constituency.
BJP's Increasing Footprints Across Northeast
The BJP has expanded its footprint across the region since 2018.
In the last five years, the party has formed governments in Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, and is part of the ruling alliances in Nagaland and Meghalaya.
The party has dropped three sitting MPs in Assam including Kamakhya Prasad Tasa who won last time from Jorhat, one of the constituencies going for polls in first phase. It has also been successful in poaching leaders.
Assam Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Voters Begin to Arrive at Polling Booths in Assam's Dibrugarh
Voters have started to arrive at polling booths 156 and 158 in Assam’s Dibrugarh ahead of the voting for the first phase, ANI reported.
BJP’s Rameswar Teli who won the Dibrugarh seat last general elections is fighting against Paban Singh Ghatowar of Congress.
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to Play a Role in LS Polls 2019?
The BJP promised in its manifesto that it will enact the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which was lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha.
The Congress, on the other hand, wants to withdraw the bill. It has promised to ensure that no category is denied inclusion in the final NRC, and to restore Special Category status to the northeastern states.
In Nagaland, it is a direct clash of opinions between the ruling party in alliance and the state. While the BJP supports the bill that seeks to grant citizenship to immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) does not want to recognise it as an issue of elections.
PM Modi, Amit Shah Urge People to Vote
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah urged people to vote and "exercise their franchise."
Amit Shah Appeals to People of Northeast to Vote
BJP chief Amit Shah appealed to the people of the northeastern states to vote in order "to continue the pace of development."
Arunachal Pradesh Election 2019 Voting LIVE: BJP's Arunachal West Candidate Kiren Rijiju Urges People to Vote
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, the BJP candidate from Arunachal West, tweeted asking people to go out and vote.
Rijiju is fighting against Congress candidate and former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, and People’s Party of Arunachal’s Subu Kechi.
Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu Asks People to Vote
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu urges people to vote and asked them to use their vote wisely for a “better tomorrow.”
Tripura Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Biplab Kumar Deb Urges People to Vote
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb asked people to “turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise”.
BJP’s Pratima Bhaumik, Congress’ Subal Bhowmik and CPI(M)'s Sankar Prasad Datta are fighting from the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat. The state will go to polls again in the second phase on 18 April.
Manipur Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Voting Underway in Imphal
Voting is underway at a polling station in Manipur’s Imphal, in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency.
The state will again go to polls in the second phase.
Sikkim Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Bhaichung Bhutia Casts Vote at East Sikkim's Pangthang
Working President of Hamro Sikkim Party and former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia voted at Pangthang in East Sikkim, CNN News18 reported.
Meghalaya Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Early Voters Get First to Vote Medals
First five early voters in Meghalaya given First to Vote medals in a rural polling station under the Shillong constituency.
Sikkim Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 85-Year-Old Woman Casts Her Vote
An 85-year-old voted in East Sikkim’s Arithang constituency.
Nagaland Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 21% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
Nagaland recorded 21 percent voter turnout till 9 am, reported ANI.
107-Yr-Old Woman, Sikkim's Oldest Registered Voter, Casts Vote
Sikkim’s Sumitra Rai, 107, the oldest voter registered in the state, cast her vote in the Kamrang secondary school polling station under the Poklok Kamrang constituency.
Assam Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 10.2% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
Assam recorded 10.2 percent voter turnout till 9 am. Five Lok Sabha seats in the state are witnessing voting in first of the seven phases of the elections. The state will go to polls on 18 and 23 April as well.
Arunachal Pradesh Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 13.3% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
Arunachal Pradesh witnessed 13.3% percent voter turnout till 9 am. Two seats in the state –Arunachal West and Arunachal East – are polling today.
Assam Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Himanta Biswa Sarma Urges People to Vote
Assam politician Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to urge people to vote with #VoteDo, #VoteKaro. He also wished his “fellow politicians for joining the fray in” first phase.
Himanta had quit Congress in 2015 and later joined Bharatiya Janata Party. He, however, is not contesting this election.
Mizoram Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 17.5% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
The state of Mizoram recorded 17.5 percent voter turnout till 9 am in the single-phase election.
Manipur Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 15.6% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
Manipur witnessed 15.6 percent voter turnout till 9 am in its Outer Manipur constituency. The state will again go to polls in second phase.
'People of Tripura Know Who Helped Them Get Freedom': Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, in Agartala, said “the people of Tripura know who will keep the country safe” and they “know who helped them get freedom.”
He said Tripura and its people created history with the 2018 elections, where the BJP-led alliance with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura won, ending the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in the state.
Meghalaya Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma at Polling Booth
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was spotted in the queue outside a polling booth in Garo Hills.
Assam Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Casts Vote in Dibrugarh
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal voted at a polling station in Dibrugarh.
He said “the people have made their decision. Agli baar Modi sarkar.”
Mizoram Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Polling Underway in Mizoram
The polling is underway in single-phase voting state Mizoram.
Meghalaya Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 27% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Meghalaya recorded 27 percent voter turnout till 11 am.
IED Detected in Assam's Dibrugarh District
An IED has been detected at an oil pipeline passing through a tea garden at Duliajan under Dibrugarh district, and security forces have rushed to the spot, PTI reported.
There are reports of EVM glitches in a few booths under Lakhimpur and Kaliabor constituencies, delaying the beginning of polls, an official said, adding, district election offices are looking into the matter.
Nagaland Election 2019 Voting LIVE: Polling Underway in Dimapur
The polling underway in Nagaland’s Dimapur.
Nagaland Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 41% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Nagaland recorded 41 percent voter turnout till 11 am.
Arunachal Pradesh Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 27.48% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Voter turnout for two constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh was recorded 27.48 percent till 11 am.
Mizoram Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 29.8% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
Mizoram witnessed 29.8 percent voter turnout till 11 am.
Manipur Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 35.03% Voter Turnout Till 11 am
The state of Manipur recorded 35.03 percent voter turnout till 11 am.
Nagaland Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 57% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Nagaland witnessed 57 percent voter turnout till 1 pm.
Mizoram Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 43.38% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Mizoram recorded 43.38 percent voter turnout till 1 pm.
Manipur Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 53.44% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Manipur witnessed 53.44 percent voter turnout till 1 pm.
Arunachal Pradesh Election 2019 Voting LIVE: 40.95% Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Arunachal Pradesh recorded 53.44 percent voter turnout till 1 pm.
Pink Booths in Four Districts of Sikkim
Four all-woman polling booths have been set up in Sikkim which is voting for 32 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.
68.90 Percent Turnout Recorded in Manipur Till 3 pm
The Outer Manipur constituency had witnessed 68.90 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
68 Percent Turnout Recorded in Nagaland Till 3 pm
Nagaland had witnessed 68.90 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
59.5 Percent Turnout Recorded in Assam Till 3 pm
Assam recorded 59.5 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
55 Percent Turnout Recorded in Meghalaya Till 3 pm
Meghalaya recorded 55 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
55 Percent Turnout Recorded in Mizoram Till 3 pm
Mizoram recorded 55 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
68.65 Percent Turnout Recorded in Tripura Till 3 pm
Tripura recorded 68.65 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
50.87 Percent Turnout Recorded in Arunachal Pradesh Till 3 pm
Arunachal Pradesh recorded 50.87 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
55 Percent Turnout Recorded in Sikkim Till 3 pm
Sikkim recorded 55 percent voter turnout till 3 pm, news agency ANI reported.
68 Percent Turnout Recorded in Assam Till 5 pm
Assam recorded 68 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, news agency ANI reported.
62 Percent Turnout Recorded in Meghalaya Till 5 pm
Meghalaya recorded 62 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, news agency ANI reported.
78.20 Percent Turnout Recorded in Manipur Till 5 pm
Manipur recorded 78.20 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, news agency ANI reported.
69 Percent Turnout Recorded in Sikkim Till 5 pm
Sikkim recorded 69 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, the EC said in a press conference.
81.8 Percent Turnout Recorded in Tripura Till 5 pm
Tripura recorded 81.8 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, the EC said in a press conference.
60 Percent Turnout Recorded in Mizoram Till 5 pm
Mizoram recorded 60 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, the EC said in a press conference.
78 Percent Turnout Recorded in Nagaland Till 5 pm
Nagaland recorded 78 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, the EC said in a press conference.