Over 14 crore voters in 124 Lok Sabha seats across the country had their chance to vote in phase one of the Lok Sabha elections 2009.
This exercise in democracy, even though just one phase in these polls, was one of the largest polling exercises in the world.
Voting has ended in Naxal-hit areas, but the news today is not all positive. There have been quite a few instances of violence in Naxal infested areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhatisgarh. At least 8 policemen have been killed.
Here is the voter turnout in Thursday's elections:
Bihar: 40-45%
Andhra Pradesh: 62.45%
Kerala: 60%
Arunachal Pradesh: 50%
Assam: 62%
Maharashtra: 54%
Manipur: 67%
Meghalaya: 65%
Mizoram: 52%
Nagaland: 84%
Orissa: 53%
UP: 49%
Chhattisgarh: 51%
Jharkhand: 50%
Andaman and Nicobar: 62%
Lakshadweep: 86%
J&K: 48%
If there is any one defining aspect of what happened on Thursday, it is the violence in Naxal hit areas.
There were more than dozen attacks today in Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa and Chhattisgarh. Seventeen people have been killed in all.
The attacks took place in Dantewada in Chhatisgarh, Latehar in Jharkhand and the Malkangiri districts of Orissa. Naxals opened fire on polling stations in all these areas. At Malkangiri in Orissa, the Maoisits blocked roads and cut off polling booths. They snatched voting machines at two booths in Dantewara.
In addition to the firing in Jharkhand, six jawans were killed in a landmine explosion near Latehar.
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