April 10 campaign round up: Mukhtar Ansari not to contest against Modi; BJP sacks Jaswant Singh’s son

7.30 pm: BJP has removed expelled party leader Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh from party for allegedly campaigning for his father.

7.20 pm: Mukhtar Ansari, who gave a tough fight to BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in Varanasi in 2009 Lok Sabha election, has decided not to contest against Narendra Modi from the seat “to avoid division of secular votes”.

7.15 pm: 67.78 per cent voting in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar and 70.85 per cent in Shamli in Uttar Pradesh: EC.

6.55 pm:

Desh mein kisano ki baat karne wale Rahul Gandhi ke apne Lok Sabha kshetra mein kyu kisaan ka haq dalal kha jaate hain?

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) April 10, 2014

6.50 pm: Election Commission says around 64 per cent polling reported in Delhi. It may go up as voting continued beyond 6 PM in some areas across the city.

READ FULL STORY: DELHI RECORDS 64% TURNOUT

Delhi recorded 1.27 crore electors, total 150 candidates in fray. Poll percentage is abt 64%, expected to go up by 1-2%: Vinod Zutshi, DG EC

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

6.15 pm: Firing at polling booth in Gaya, Bihar; people clash with police during voting.

6.05 pm: About 71 per cent of the 2.43 crore electorate exercised their franchise in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, where polling passed off on a peaceful note.

FULL STORY: IMPRESSIVE TURN OUT IN KERALA

5.55 pm: Naxals set ablaze EVM machines and a truck ablaze in Mahupadar Village (Odisha).

5.44 pm: About 60.1 per cent of polling recorded till 5 pm in Delhi. Voter turn out in Chandni Chowk till 5 pm was 60 per cent while in East Delhi it was recorded at 61.2 per cent. New Delhi constituency recorded 59.2 per cent voter turn out. North East and North West Delhi constituencies recorded 63 per cent and 59.3 per cent of voting respectively.

4.50 pm: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav triggered yet another controversy when he questioned the death penalty for rape and said that they would change the law if they come to power.

In a shocking statement, Yadav said that that if the SP forms government, they will change the law of giving death sentence to the rape accused.

4.33 pm: Bombay High Court dismissed a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly misusing the national flag and emblem to gain political mileage.

4.30 pm: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today apologised to the media for the inconvenience caused by his party supporters who surged closer to media enclosure at a rally at Gopal Maidan, Jamshedpur.  

4.17 pm: Describing himself as a “son of soil”, Congress candidate Ajay Rai says the poll battle here will be mainly a contest with “outsider” Narendra Modi and dismisses any challenge from “deserter” Arvind Kejriwal.

4.16 pm:  BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani blamed the “Gandhi family” for politicising emotional issues and overlooking development in the constituency.

 4.13 pm: Union Minister Kamal Nath alleged that BJP’s Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tried to “mislead” people through “false” advertisements.

4.10 pm: Narendra Modi addresses rally in Jehanabad district of Bihar.

4.07 pm:  AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal arrived at the polling booth at Tilak Marg to cast his vote literally with a ‘bang’ as two vehicles collided outside the entry gate of the booth, triggering a momentary alarm.

4.05 pm: Hundreds of riots victims were among those who cast their votes today amid tight security in Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency where 50 per cent polling was recorded till 2 PM with no untoward incident.

3.55 pm: Election Commission admonishes Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for violation of Model Code after BJP accused him of using derogatory words against Narendra Modi.

3.40 pm: EC director Dhirendra Ojha said in Kolkata that the poll body has taken a serious note of the attacl on EC personnel and asked the district administration to submit report of the incident by this evening.

READ FULL STORY: POLL OFFICIALS BEATEN UP BY TMC WORKERS; EC TO TAKE ACTION

3.31 pm: About 52 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Delhi. Voters across all age groups and professions are coming out in a large number to cast their votes at polling booths of prestigious New Delhi constituency.

3.24 pm: Allahabad High Court rejects BJP general secretary Amit Shah’s petition challenging FIRs lodged against him in UP for alleged ‘revenge remarks’.

3.15 pm: Aam Aadmi Party has demanded cancellation of Union Minister Farooq Abdullah’s candidature, alleging that he had given “misleading” information about his age to the Election Commission.

READ FULL STORY: AAP COMPLAINS AGAINST FAROOQ ABDULLAH

3.10 pm: An estimated 45 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 2:00 pm in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 Assembly constituencies in Odisha. A maximum of 57 per cent voters turned out in Angul district.

3.08 pm: Rahul Gandhi attacks Narendra Modi over Adani link.

I never took names #BJP has sidelined Advani ,आडवाणी बाहर ,अडानी अन्दर- #Rahul #Gandhi in #Udaipur

— INC India (@INCIndia) April 10, 2014

3.07 pm: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi hits out at Bharatiya Janata Party during a rally in Udaipur, Rajasthan, questions the saffron party on the source of money being spent on huge ads.

3.00 pm:

Anand Sharma on Modi’s marital status: Humari parampara nai kuch bhi ashobhniya kehna,mubarakbaad de di,acchi baat hai,pheli baar pata chala

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

2.55 pm: After a dull start in the morning, polling picked up in Haryana with nearly 40 per cent of the electorates casting their votes in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the first six hours while brisk polling was recorded in Chandigarh with over 30 per cent voters exercising
their franchise.

2.50 pm:

Being a heritage lover & two-time MP from Chandni Chowk, I am certain that BJP will score a sweeping victory across all seven seats in Delhi

— Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) April 10, 2014

2.45 pm: Priyanka Gandhi says she will campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi.

FULL STORY: PRIYANKA TO CAMPAIGN IN AMETHI

2.35 pm:

Modi has blood on his hands after riots where innocents were killed. He can dream of becoming PM. India will not allow this nightmare: Derek

— AITC (@AITCofficial) April 10, 2014

2.20 pm:

Elections makes the hair grayer & skin thicker :-)

— Milind Deora (@milinddeora) April 10, 2014

2.14 pm: Some Trinamool Congress workers reportedly beat up election officials in Malda, West Bengal.

2.09 pm: Voters came out in large numbers to cast their franchise in Ghaziabad where around 35 per cent polling was recorded till 1 PM.

1.55 pm: Express reporter Parwesh Lama explains the complexities of the campaign in North East Delhi.

1.42 pm: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar failed to cast her vote in Delhi as she is busy in Sasaram constituency which witnessed polling today.

1.35 pm: Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti has promised voters in Jhansi a separate Bundelkhand state within three years, if her party is voted to power at the Centre.

FULL STORY: UMA BHARTI PROMISES SEPERATE BUNDELKHAND TO VOTERS IN JHANSI

1.31 pm: “Unless she criticises Modi, her food does not get digested,” says Narendra Modi on Mamata Banerjee.

1.29 pm:

I Voted! Go India, Vote! Jai Loktantra! pic.twitter.com/as5ikBCP6S

— Dr. Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) April 10, 2014

1.26 pm: Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh has termed BJP’s Arun Jaitley as a sinking ship, saying no one wants him Amritsar.

1.19 pm: Voter turnout in Delhi has been 40 per cent till 1 pm.

1.10 pm:

White caps turning into saffron. The people’s choice is the BJP! #LekhiForNewDelhi pic.twitter.com/od59iRISs2

— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) April 10, 2014

12.59 pm:

Ajay Maken’s photo outside a polling booth in violation of EC norms. People will reject violators! #LekhiForNewDelhi pic.twitter.com/XrXRGFUXOs

— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) April 10, 2014

READ: Top 5 battles of Phase 3

12.56 pm:

Dantewada : AAP’s Soni Sori casts her vote pic.twitter.com/U5CmVZQeYr

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

12.40 pm: Rahul Gandhi in Rajasthan — BJP has not put anything related to ‘Corruption’ in their manifesto. How will they fight corruption?

12.28 pm:

People gathered to listen to #Rahul #Gandhi in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan Live at http://t.co/HkouqDs5fN pic.twitter.com/EZ4IwuDSv4

— INC India (@INCIndia) April 10, 2014

12.15 pm:  Indian Express reporter Pragya Kaushika explains what the BJP is up to in a bid to capture the seven seats in Delhi.

12.12 pm: It’s family first in Punjab when it comes to fielding covering candidates for the April 30 Lok Sabha polls as major political players like SAD, BJP and Congress are trusting none other than their closest relatives.

12.09 pm:

Mujhe toh bilkul nahi lagti-Priyanka Gandhi on asked whether there is a Modi wave

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

12.06 pm:  Voting began on a dull note in Haryana with four per cent of the voters exercising their franchise in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the initial hours, while brisk voting was recorded in Chandigarh Union Territory with 11 per cent voters exercising their right.

READ: British envoy visits Nagpur to ‘experience’ Indian elections

12.06 pm: In an incident of fratricide, three personnel of India Reserve Battalion(IRB) deputed on poll duty were shot dead by a colleague in Gumla district of Jharkhand hours before Lok Sabha polls began in the area today.

12.00 pm: 

#Rahul #Gandhi will address 3 public meetings today – Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan), Udaipur (Rajasthan) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)

— INC India (@INCIndia) April 10, 2014

11.50 am: Delhi voting till 11am: Chandni Chowk 20%, East 25%, New Delhi 24%, North West 27%, South 25%, West 26%, North East 29%.

11.44 am: An estimated 14 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 10 AM in four Lok Sabha seats of Jharkhand where Maoists exploded a series of landmines before polling began.

11.40 am: Congress party President Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi and her husband Robert Vadra cast their votes in Lodhi Estate, Delhi.

11.20 am: Congress in Goa today claimed that voters who have suffered in ‘silence’ under the BJP rule in the state will bring them victory in the two Lok Sabha seats, which go to polls on April 12.

READ: Interactive map: Phase 3 of Lok Sabha polls

11.05 am: 150 Muzaffarnagar riot victims return to their village in Fugana to vote.

10.50 am:

Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal leaves after casting his vote pic.twitter.com/0M63y5mLUl

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

10.44 am: 

Just voted in my constituency as I always have for the past two decades in the same booth. #LekhiForNewDelhi pic.twitter.com/3tAKHBNMwF

— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) April 10, 2014

10.42 am:  AAP’s Prashant Bhushan casts his vote in Noida, Mumbai.

10.30 am:

Chandigarh : Kirron Kher’s father casts his vote pic.twitter.com/Krp9b9OMl4

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

10.22 am:  The 10 seats of Vidharbha, which have gone to the polls on Thursday saw medium to lukewarm polling till 9 am. Figures show that Nagpur saw 10 per cent of the registered voters, casting their votes while Bhandara saw only 2 per cent of the voters turn out. Buldhana recorded 7 per cent polling, while Ramtek saw 10 per cent of the electorates casting their votes. Gondia, Chandrapur Gadchilori saw 8 and 10 per cent polling, while Amravati and Wardha witnessed 9 and 6 per cent polling.

10.28 am: Amid tight security, brisk voting was underway in Jammu Lok Sabha seat where Congress nominee and two-time MP Madan Lal Sharma is looking for a hat-trick while opposition BJP’s Jugal Kishore Sharma is trying to woo electorate on Narendra Modi plank.

10.20 am: Arvind Kejriwal casts his vote in Delhi and says AAP will win all the seven Lok Sabha seats.

10.14 am: Voting in nine out of the 29 Parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh began on Thursday with high-profile contenders like Union Minister Kamal Nath in the fray.

10.10 am: 

Delhi : Rahul Gandhi leaves after casting his vote pic.twitter.com/6BxkFAMVlj

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

10.07 am: Delhi records 10.1 per cent voting till 9.30 am. North East on top with 11.3 per cent, West 11.1 per cent, North West 10.9 per cent, East Delhi 10.2 per cent and South 10 per cent. New Delhi lags behind at 9.13 per cent and Chandni Chowk at 8.5 per cent. 

10.00 am: Union Health Minister and former state chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was faced with a piquant situation when he was stopped by presiding officer at a polling booth in Delhi Public School in Jammu Lok Sabha constituency from cating his vote as he failed to produce any document to establish his identity. Later he was allowed to cast vote only after a local Congress leader there intervened telling the presiding officer that he knew him personally.

9.54 am: Polling began in Kerala on a brisk note. As per official report, 14.2 per cent of polling was recorded in Kerala in the first two hours of polling. Unofficial reports put that voter turnout was at 20 per cent until 9.30 am.

9.53 am: Amist tight security arrangements, polling for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Naxal-plagued Vidarbha region of Maharashtra is underway today to test the political fate of heavyweights like former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Praful Patel, former minister of State Vilas Muttemwar and senior Congress leader Shivajirao Moghe.

9.50 am: 

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor casts his vote in Trivandrum pic.twitter.com/WaBuF3JkZ7

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

9.48 am: Delhi  has so far registered 10.1 per cent voter turnout till 9 am: TV reports. 

9.32 am: Congress party President Sonia Gandhi arrives at Nirman Bhawan, Delhi to cast her vote.

9.30 am: 

Meira Kumar on Modi : I can’t see any wave. There was crowd in his rally but there was crowd in Soniaji’s rally too pic.twitter.com/h5nZbAkC3U

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

9.27 am: Kerala CM Omman Chandy casts his vote as the state goes to vote in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies.

9.26 am: 

Pandav Nagar(Delhi) : AAP leader Manish Sisodia casts his vote pic.twitter.com/3NNigHaBc3

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 10, 2014

9.22 am: Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari casts his vote in Nagpur.

READ: Narendra Modi mentions wife Jashodaben in poll affidavit for first time

9.10 am: According to reports, polling has been stopped at a booth in Gaya, Bihar, after officials recover cane bomb Javein the booth premises.

9.05 am:

Kejriwal’s GANDHIGIRI or NAUTANKI ?

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) April 10, 2014

9.00 am:

All of you contesting or voting today – good luck. Make it a good one #2014

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) April 10, 2014

8.59 am: Union Minister Kamal Nath casts his vote in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

8.45 am:

Good mor Chandigarh! Today is one of the days when we can change d destiny of our country. So go out & vote. Your vote counts. VOTE 4 INDIA.

— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) April 10, 2014

8.37 am: Union Minister Kapil Sibal casts his vote.

8.36 am:

All those voting today in 91 Lok Sabha seats, 70 seats for Odisha Vidhan Sabha & by-election in Maharashtra should vote in record numbers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2014

8.31 am:

With faith in voters, confident of #BJP victory led by #Narendra Modi

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 10, 2014

8.30 am: BJP Delhi president Harsh Vardhan casts his vote.

8.10 am:

That’s @ashutosh83B waiting to cast his ballot in Chandni Chowk pic.twitter.com/S1CAbvGc80 #MyIndiaMyVote #WhyIVoted

— Manoj Yadav (@imanojyadav) April 10, 2014

7.40 am: Is AAP a factor in South Delhi? Express reporter Ananya Bhardwaj explains.

7.00 am: Voting starts across the 91 seats. Brisk polling reported in parts of East Delhi, where incumbent Sandeep Dikshit is taking on Rajmohan Gandhi of the AAP and Mahesh Giri of the BJP.