New Delhi, May 6: Glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported in early hours of voting in various Lok Sabha constituencies which went to polls today. The EVM malfunctions were reported in constituencies of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, including the constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli from where Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is seeking re-election, respectively. Catch live news updates on Phase 5 voting.

Apart from Amethi and Raebareli, the voting machine glitches were also reported in UP's Gonda and Lucknow Lok Sabha constituencies. In neighbouring West Bengal, the ruling TMC has alleged that the EVM at a polling booth in Howrah.

In Jaipur, voting did not begin at a polling booth as the VVPAT machine installed with the EVM was not functioning.

This round of the election pits several heavyweights in the fray, including Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jayant Sinha and Smriti Irani.

The BJP is on the defending pitch in this phase, as 40 out of the 51-poll bound seats are currently represented by lawmakers affiliated to the saffron camp.

According to the Election Commission of India, over 8.75 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballot to decide the fate of 674 candidates. As many as 96,000 polling stations have been set up and security arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2019 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).