India goes to polls

Colombo (News 1st): General Elections in India began today (April 11), with more than 900 million voters heading to polls to elect members to the lower house also known as the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament. This election will spread over seven phases from April 11th to May 19th this year. The counting of votes will take place on May 23rd, and results will be declared on the same day. 543 parliament seats are being contested in the lower house and parties need to gain 272 seats to claim a majority and form a government. Tens of millions of Indians flocked to polling booths to cast their votes. 25 MPs from Andra Pradesh and 17 MPs from Telangana are set to be selected through today's elections. Voters from Uttar Pradesh who arrived to cast their votes, were warmly welcome this morning. Voting is being held in parts of Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Meanwhile, the world's smallest living woman according to Guinness World Records, Jyoti Kisange Amge cast her vote in Nagpur today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to all voters as well as first-time voters to exercise their votes. President of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi urged voters to vote wisely for the soul of India and its future. Meanwhile, election violence was reported in India today, with two people being killed in clashes in Andra Pradesh. Meanwhile, A sum of Rs. 116 crore in cash, 101kg of gold and 330 kg of silver totally worth Rs 33.2 crore and liquor worth over Rs 23 crore was seized as of Monday, as part of enforcement measures in effect for the general elections in Andhra Pradesh. President of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi reached the Collectorate to file his nomination after a roadshow through the town. India's Congress on Thursday claimed that the life of INC President Rahul Gandhi was under threat when he filed nomination in Amethi earlier this week. Following the incident, the Congress leaders, in a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, said that the laser was possibly from a sniper gun Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi expressed the following during a rally in Gujarat;

"Those who have committed crime have been brought to prison doors. The Congress party that has been accused of corruption is now engaging in elections crime as well. If we are elected to govern the country for the next five years, we will imprison all the wrongdoers."

Meanwhile, sources reveal that discussions between India's Congress party and Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi to form an alliance have failed.