Assembly Elections 2021 LIVE Updates: EC Suspends Sector Officer After EVMs, VVPAT Machines Found In TMC Leader’s House

Voting began in more than 750 constituencies spread across four states and one union territory at 7 am today, sealing the fate of the candidates who are locked in direct or triangular contests from their respective seats. While voting in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for their single-phase election will end on April 6, West Bengal is set for its third phase, and has five more phases to go. Assam, on the other hand, is witnessing the final of its three phases.

Check LIVE Updates here:

9:15 am: TMC goons are not allowing people to cast their votes at booth no. 180, 143 Dagira Baduldanga. I have complained to the Election Commission officials: Dipak Haldar, BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas

9:13 am: Thermal scanning of voters being done, hand sanitiser and hand gloves being provided to them as they stand in a queue to cast their vote for the third phase of West Bengal Polls

9: 11 am: Former Puducherry CM and Congress leader V.Narayanasamy casts his vote in Puducherry assembly elections

9:01 am: The next course of action is to educate people about this cash distribution, how disastrous it is for their lives and democracy. The money dolling out politicians put the blame on the people. This is a vicious circle and we are trying to make it virtuous: Kamal Haasan

9:00 am: West Bengal: General Observer Neeraj Pawan has checked the intactness of all seals. These EVMs have now been stored in a separate room in Observer's custody: Election Commission of India.

8:46 am: The Sector Police attached to Sector Officer has also been directed to be suspended. The said EVM and VVPAT have been taken out of the stock and shall not be used in the polls: Election Commission of India

8:45 am: Tapan Sarkar, sector officer of Sector 17 in AC 177 Uluberia Uttar at Howrah district, went with Reserve EVM and slept at a relative’s house. This is a gross violation of EC’s instructions for which he has been suspended and charges will be framed for major punishment: EC

8:30 am:  I appeal to all to come out and cast their votes, says DMK's Udhayanidhi Stalin who is contesting from the Chepauk assembly constituency

8:18 am: Chennai: DMK President MK Stalin cast his vote at Siet College, Teynampet. He was accompanied by his wife Durga and son Udhayanidhi Stalin

8:15 am: Kannur: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan arrives at a polling booth in Pinarayi to cast his vote

8:03: Watch: NR Congress chief N Rangaswamy visited Appa Paithiyam Swamy Temple and offered prayers today. He is contesting Puducherry Elections from  Thattanchavady and Yanam constituencies.

#WATCH: NR Congress chief N Rangaswamy visited Appa Paithiyam Swamy Temple and offered prayers today. He is contesting #PuducherryElections from Thattanchavady and Yanam constituencies. pic.twitter.com/gii2fQxAJ4

— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2021

8:00 am: Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan casts his vote at Chennai High School, Teynampet in Chennai. He is also contesting from the Coimbatore South assembly constituency.

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan casts his vote at Chennai High School, Teynampet in Chennai. He is also contesting #TamilNaduElections from Coimbatore South assembly constituency. pic.twitter.com/xsZ01rwGEX

— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2021

7: 59 am: West Bengal: BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas, Dipak Haldar casts his vote at Abdalpur F P Primary School in the district for the third phase of West Bengal elections

West Bengal: BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas, Dipak Haldar casts his vote at Abdalpur F P Primary School in the district for the third phase of #WestBengalPolls pic.twitter.com/YBkkA4MPbJ

— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2021

7: 57 am: PM Modi has appealed to people to 'vote in record numbers'

Elections are taking place in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. I request the people in these places to vote in record numbers, particularly the young voters.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2021

7:19 am: Long queues were seen outside polling stations in Bengal, where voting will continue till 6.30 pm.

7: 18 am: After casting his vote, 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan says, "BJP will have an impressive show this time, there's no doubt about it. I will win from the Palakkad constituency with a big margin. My entry into BJP has given a different image to the party."

7:15 am: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan arrives at a polling station in Ponnani to cast his vote in the single-phase elections in Kerala. He is BJP's candidate from Palakkad.

Kerala: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan arrives at a polling station in Ponnani to cast his vote in the single-phase #AssemblyElections2021 of the state

He is BJP's candidate from Palakkad pic.twitter.com/VkxhI7JISX

— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2021

In Kerala, after weeks-long stormy campaign sessions, marathon rallies and mammoth roadshows, Kerala is all set to go to polls on Tuesday with 2.74 crore voters exercising their franchise to decide the fate of 957 candidates including high-profile leaders and independents in 140 Assembly constituencies across the state. The total electorate in the state includes 1,32,83,724 male voters, 1,41,62,025 female voters and 290 transgenders, according to Election Commission figures.

Assam is all set to witness direct and triangular contests in 40 assembly constituencies that are going to polls in the last of the three phases today to decide the fate of 337 candidates, including senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his five cabinet colleagues and BJP state unit president Ranjeet Kumar Dass. A direct contest between nominees of the BJP-led NDA and Congress-headed Grand Alliance is on the cards in 20 constituencies while there is a triangular fight, including friendly contests, in the remaining seats with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) being considered as the third force.      

A three-cornered battle is on the cards in 31 assembly seats that are set to go to polls today in the third phase of Bengal elections, with the BJP seeking to breach TMC fortresses, and Left Front-ISF-Congress alliance hoping to make a mark in areas, where identity politics has gained ground. More than 78.5 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise and decide the fate of 205 candidates -- prominent among them being BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta, TMC minister Ashima Patra and CPI(M) leader Kanti Ganguly – in three districts -- Howrah, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas. Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful voting, with 618 companies of CAPF deployed to guard 10,871 polling stations, all of which have been marked "sensitive" by the Election Commission. State police forces will also be deputed at strategic locations to aid the CAPF. With the Covid-19 situation in the state taking a turn for the worse, polling will be held amid strict adherence to health protocols across all 31 constituencies -- 16 in South 24 Parganas (part II), seven in Howrah (part I) and eight in Hooghly (part I).

In the 16th Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, there are 6,28,69,955 crore eligible voters. The list includes 3,19,39,112 crore women voters, 3,09,23,651 crore men and 7,192 persons from the third gender. By-election to Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency will be held on the same day. The constituency fell vacant following the demise of Congress MP H Vasanthakumar.

Puducherry is also voting to elect a new government following the collapse of its Congress-led administration due to an array of resignations. It will witness a battle between the Congress party and the opposition led by a former chief minister N Rangasamy, who has allied with the BJP, the party accused of orchestrating the defection of ministers from the previous government by ‘purchasing’ and ‘threatening’ the Congress MLAs.