LIVE News Updates: 16.65% voter turnout recorded till 11:05 am; polling underway

16.65% voter turnout recorded till 11:05 am. Voting for the fourth phase of the State's Assembly elections is underway today.

Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi holds a meeting via video conference with chief ministers and ministers of the Congress-ruled states to review the COVID19 situation

A first-time voter was shot dead by unidentified persons outside a polling booth in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district on Saturday, police said.

WB: SHO of Kishanganj Police Station in Bihar, Ashwini Kumar beaten to death by a crowd in a village in Goalpokhar police station area of Uttar Dinajpur. IG Purnia Range says, "He had come for a raid in connection with a bike theft. Islampur SP with us. We'll raid & make arrests"

Mumbai: Empty roads along the Marine Drive during weekend lockdown imposed in the city to control the spread of COVID19

West Bengal elections: 15.85 per cent voter turnout recorded till 9 am in 44 seats where polling is underway for fourth

Maharashtra: Streets near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and headquarters of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation wear a deserted look as weekend lockdown is imposed in the city till 7 am on Monday

The 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China lasted for around 13 hours yesterday and concluded at 11:30 PM. Both sides discussed disengagement from remaining friction points including Gogra heights, Hot Springs and Depsang Plains: Army Sources

The coronavirus tally in Thane district of Maharashtra reached 3,67,610 after 6,176 people tested positive for the infection, an official said on Saturday.

India reports 1,45,384 new COVID19 cases, 77,567 discharges, and 794 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry

TMC writes to Election Commission alleging that "across several booths in Sitalkuchi, Natalbari, Tufanganj & Dinhata, BJP goons are creating a ruckus outside the booth & preventing TMC agents from entering the booth." TMC demands necessary actions from EC.

Polling began at 7 am on Saturday for 44 seats in the fourth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections amid tight security, officials said.

Voting is underway with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols in nine seats in Howrah district, 11 in South 24 Parganas, five in Alipurduar, nine in Cooch Behar and 10 in Hooghly, they said.

Long queues were seen outside polling stations where voting will continue till 6.30 pm.

Over 1.15 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 373 candidates, including Union minister Babul Supriyo and state ministers Partha Chatterjee and Arup Biswas.

Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful voting, with 789 companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) being deployed to guard 15,940 polling stations.

At least 187 companies of CAPF, the highest deployment of forces among poll-bound districts in the phase, are in Cooch Behar, which has witnessed sporadic incidents of violence, including an attack on BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, in the run-up to the elections.

State police forces have also been deployed at strategic locations to aid the central forces.

Elections for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases. The votes will be counted on May 2.

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