"election-commission"

Over 23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 independents, who are running for 24 Assembly segments

The poll process is likely to be completed by the end of October and an elected government will take office before the year's end

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer issues letters to various political parties, inviting them for a meeting with the ECI

AAP's Mohinder Bhagat wins Jalandhar West, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife and Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur bags Dehra seat

Both Rahul Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi are leading from their constituencies of Rae-Bareli and Varanasi. Rahul Gandhi is also leading in Wayanad.

Strict action, and not mere advisories, against violators of election code of conduct, irrespective of their position, will help restore confidence in EC

Incidentally, a majority of the voters who skipped the polling are from urban areas.

Polling which began at 7 am ended 6 pm, barring a few places where it concluded early.

He said a five-member BJP team was conducting door-to-door campaign in Peddamma Nagar at Borabanda on Tuesday.

"The machine belongs to my father. Only one thing works - that is BJP," says Vijay Bhabhor before pressing a button on the EVM, as per the video.

"If the CM was concerned about the farmers, he would have released the amount much before the announcement of the poll schedule. He is deceiving the farmers. He has no intention to release the amount,"he said.

The deadline expired on Wednesday, May 8, but the EC extended the deadline for two more days.

The BJP State unit had earlier complained against the Speaker campaigning for the Congress party.

He said the ECI had turned a blind eye to inflammatory statements made by Modi and Shah, despite receiving around 20,000 complaints from citizens.

Appreciating the efforts made by the Commission so far to improve the poll percentage, the Forum pointed out that while polling in Telangana was scheduled for May 13, the preceding two days, May 11 and 12, were holidays.

K.T. Rama Rao, the Working President of BRS, criticized the EC's decision, questioning the fairness of such actions.

The report had pointed out the extra hour could prompt more people to head to the polling station, especially those who work till 5 pm and those hesitant to venture out and stand in queues under the sweltering sun.

The Election Commission reports 318 withdrawals from Assembly polls and 49 from Lok Sabha contests.

The ECI also strictly warned her to remain careful in her public utterances during the Model Code of Conduct currently in force.

The Election Commission of India had asked State government to transfer P Sai Chaitanya, who was the DCP (south) and send a list of three IPS officer who can replace him.