Polling is underway for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls to 11 constituencies in Maharashtra.
The 11 constituencies - Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi and Beed - are spread across the central Marathwada as well as northern and western regions of the state. Among key candidates who are in the fray, are Union Ministers Raosaheb Danve and Bharati Pawar, BJP leader Pankaja Munde, actor Amol Kolhe, sitting MPs Sujay Vikhe-Patil, Heena Gavit, Raksha Khadse and Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar.
In the 11 constituencies covered in the fourth phase, there are 2,28,01,151 registered voters -- 1,18,59,645 men, 1,09,40,234 women and 1,272 third gender persons. Top leaders such as Priyanka Gandhi, Raj Thackeray, Nitin Gadkari, Sharad Pawar, Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, among others, held rallies in different constituencies.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after 80 in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 48 seats, voting has been completed in 24 in the first three phases of elections.
Here are the key updates.
9:30 pm: Over 52.93% voter turnout recorded today across 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharahtra
5 pm: Sachin Bhosale, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief in Pimpri Chinchwad, was arrested by police for obstructing the work of poll officers. As per preliminary information, the poll officials at a polling booth at Barne School in Thergaon registered a police complaint with Wakad Police against Bhosale after he allegedly created ruckus inside a polling booth. He was later released on bail
4 pm: An intense but short spell of rains and hailstorm was reported in parts of Karjat, Khopoli and Khalapur areas amid voting for the Maval Lok Sabha constituency. The rain is said to have not affected voting adversely.
2.25 pm: Actor Sonali Kulkarni voted and urged fellow citizens to do the same. "Duty and rights are two sides of the same coin. You don't get the right without fulfilling your duty. Keep this in mind. Please go vote," she wrote on her social media account.
2 pm: Among the six assembly constituencies, Kasba Peth has recorded highest voting percentage so far (31.1% by 1 pm) closely followed by Kothrud (29.1% by 1 pm). Slowest voting has been recorded in Pune Cantonment which has reocorded 23.21% votes so far.
12.57 pm: Pune Congress chief Arvind Shinde was unable to vote as he claimed someone else already voted in his name.
12.46 pm: Pune Lok Sabha seat registered a jump in voter turnout with 16.16 percent in first 4 hours (till 11 am) from 6.61 percent in first two hours (till 9 am).
12 pm: BJP candidate from Beed parliamentary constituency Pankaja Munde casts her vote at a polling station in Beed.
11.31 am: During the mock polls held for Shirur Loksabha seat, 24 ballot units, 8 control units, and 24 VVPATs were changed. Whereas in Pune mock polls, 37 ballot units, 13 control units, and 17 VVPATs were changed.
11.19 am: “The voting percentage is fine and increasing. People are coming to vote,” says Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat Chandrakant Khaire after casting his vote in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.
10.53 am: AIMIM candidate from Aurangabad, Imtiaz Jaleel casts his vote at a polling booth in his constituency. Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Chandrakant Khaire while Shiv Sena has fielded Sandipan Bhumare from Aurangabad.
10.43 am: AIMIM candidate from Aurangabad, Imtiaz Jaleel casts his vote at a polling booth in his constituency. Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Chandrakant Khaire while Shiv Sena has fielded Sandipan Bhumare from Aurangabad.
10.39 am: BJP candidate from Beed parliamentary constituency Pankaja Munde says, "It is a very important day. I want to appeal to the people to come out and cast their votes...I miss my father Gopinath Munde but for the last few years, I think his energy has been with me and he is blessing me. Maratha reservation was an important issue but people have understood everything and they are going to cast their votes wisely..."
10.29 am: BJP leader Prakash Javadekar says, "Last time in Maharashtra we got 41 seats but this time we will get more. There is a Modi wave in the country because people are thinking about their future and are voting for PM Modi. We are confident that we will cross 400 seats..."
9.51 am: Women are flocking to the women-run booth at Cummins College of Engineering in Kothrud constituency, one of the six such booths in Pune.
9.15 am: "My mindset is positive, I am calm. Beed is my family and we are part of it. There was an undercurrent here. But people are sorted. People are mindful in their voting. We will win. I am not over confident. '400 paar' will come true," said BJP candidate from Beed, Pankaja Munde.
9am: Vishambhar Choudhari, the co convenor of Nirbhay Bano Manch and his wife could not vote as their names did not appear in the voter's list.
8.47 am: The Pune Police banned the entry of any one with mobile phones within 200 meters from the polling booth in Moshi. People were cooperating with the police.
8.30 am: Union Minister and BJP's candidate from Jalna Lok Sabha seat, Raosaheb Patil Danve casts his vote at a polling booth in Jalna, Maharashtra
7 am: Voting is underway.
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