Voting ends in 4th phase of Indian general elections

NEW DELHI, India/SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Indians went to the polls Monday for to vote in the fourth phase of the general elections.

According to the election commission, the turnout was 64% at fourth phase of the polling, with 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states casting the ballot.

Bollywood stars like Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor Khan were among the early voters as Mumbai went to the polls in the fourth phase of the elections in Maharashtra state.

Mumbai, where polling was held for all the six constituencies, is India’s wealthiest city.

However, people seem to be concerned about the insufficient infrastructure of the city. Majority of the people including Bollywood stars said that they voted for development of the city.

According to media reports, local complained about the failure in electronic voting machines in Bengal, Mumba, and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Separately, clashes were reported in various parts of Bengal, where eight constituencies went to the polls.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the Kulgam district voted on Monday’s polls, with only 10.32% turnout, according to the election commission.

Kulgam is part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency along with three other districts -- Anantnag, Shopian, and Pulwama, with all the four districts being home to the most of the regions’ militancy and resistance to Indian rule over the past three years.

Last Tuesday, the voter turnout in the Anantnag district was only 13.61%.

The anti-India sentiment in the south forced the Indian authorities to hold elections in a single constituency in several phases.

In the first phase, Baramula constituency in Kashmir saw a 34.61% turnout, while it was 14% in the capital Srinagar.

The low turnout across Kashmir resulted from the people’s support to the election boycott called by the region’s pro-independence leadership who demand a plebiscite under UN resolutions.

While most of the people stayed indoors in Kashmir to protest the elections, there were sporadic instances of stone throwing against the Indian forces near the polling stations across Kulgam.

According to reports, at least 10 civilians were wounded in a row with police on Monday.

With the world’s largest electorate -- nearly 900 million -- the elections in India is being held in seven phases through May 19, the counting will be held on May 23, and the results are expected to be announced the same day.

The ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the biggest contender in the elections, with current Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term.