Polling began in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi in the last phase of elections on May 19 amidst allegations of malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Local media reports that polling was stalled in many booths.
According to Jansatta, the EVM at Shivpur booth number 42 was malfunctioning leading to polling being affected. Voting was also affected in Indira Gandhi School at Agastyakund due to a power failure. There were also several other unverifiable reports of instances being circulated over social media. However, after the initial snag, polling reportedly resumed.
13 constituencies each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, as well as eight each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, along with four in Himachal Pradesh and three in Jharkhand are voting on May 19 along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh.