NEW DELHI : Billionaires and Bollywood stars lined up outside polling stations along with the common folks on Monday, 29 April, in Mumbai, which recorded 55.11 percent voting, an improvement over the 2014 elections figure of 51.59 percent. galaxy of Bollywood stars, businesspeople and politicians came out to vote. Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Rekha, Paresh Rawal, Aamir Khan, Sonali Bhendre, Kareena Kapoor, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Chairperson of Reliance Group Anil Ambani were among the people who voted.
sssssssIncidents of violence in West Bengal and EVM glitches in some areas were reported as 64 percent turnout was recorded on Monday in 72 constituencies across nine states in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Bollywood actors, celebrities and captains of industry turned out in strength to vote in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. The Congress and its ally, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress party or the NCP, are trying to wrest the city’s six seats from the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. Last time, the Sena won three seats and the BJP three.

In the heartland states, where the BJP had won 30 out of 32 seats in 2014, 62 percent turnout was recorded in Rajasthan (13 seats), 53.12 percent in Uttar Pradesh (13 seats) and 65.86 percent Madhya Pradesh (6 seats). West Bengal recorded a high turnout at 76.47 in the eight seats though clashes broke out between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Suri areas of Birbhum seat, leaving several people injured.
In Barabani, BJP candidate from Asansol and Union minister Babul Supriyo’s vehicle was vandalised allegedly by TMC workers outside a polling station while in Dubrajpur area central security forces personnel reportedly opened fire in the air to disperse irate people who attacked them when they were barred from entering the booths with mobile phones.
The stakes are high for the BJP which had won 56 of the 72 constituencies in the 2014 polls. About 12.79 crore people were eligible for voting in the phase, which marked the start of polling in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh while elections came to an end in Maharashtra and Odisha.
Polling was peaceful in Rajasthan, with tribal dominated seat of Banswara recording the highest voting percentage at 72.34, In Kulgam district of Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, 10.3 percent polling was recorded, amid isolated incidents of stone pelting. This was the second of the three-phase polling in the sensitive seat.
Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, the Khan troika of Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir, and Deepika Padukone cast their votes in Mumbai. Priyanka Chopra, Rekha, Aamir and wife Kiran Rao were among the early voters.

In Uttar Pradesh, opposition Samajwadi Party’s alleged that many EVMs malfunctioned and in Kannauj, from where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting, several party workers were prevented from coming out of their homes to vote. Reports were received of EVMs developing snag in Bidhauna area under the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat following which polling remained suspended for over an hour.
Besides Dimple Yadav, prominent candidates whose electoral fate will be decided in this phase are Dimple Yadav, former Union ministers Salman Khurshid (Farrukhabd) and Sriprakash Jaiswal (Kanpur) of Congress, UP Cabinet minister Satyadev Pachauri (Kanpur) and Sakshi Maharaj of BJP (Unnao)

In Bihar, voting was delayed due to EVM malfunctioning at three polling stations in Munger, two polling stations in Darbhanga and three polling stations in Begusarai, from where CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar and Union Minister Giriraj Singh (BJP) are contesting, due to technical glitches, official sources said.
Election to 542 Lok Sabha seats is being conducted in seven phases between April 11 and May 19. Election in Vellore constituency in Tamil Nadu has been cancelled following excess use of money power. Results will be declared on May 23.( With Agency Inputs ).