Moderate to brisk polling has been reported in all the 121 Constituencies spread over 12 States where voting is taking place today for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Polling began at 7 A.M. in all the constituencies and will continue upto 6 P.M.

except in some Naxal affected areas where it will end at 4 P.M. The constituencies are all 28 in Karnataka, 20 in Rajasthan, 19 in Maharashtra, 11 each in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, 10 in Madhya Pradesh, 7 in Bihar, 6 in Jharkhand, 4 in West Bengal, 3 in Chhattisgarh and one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur.

Polling is by and large peaceful so far except in Jharkhand where Maoists blew up a stretch of railway track in Bokaro district this morning disrupting train services and exploded ten bombs at separate places in Giridih Lok Sabha constituency. Seven low intensity crude bombs were exploded serially near Bistur under Pirtand police station around 8.30 AM. According to police, all the security and polling personnel are safe and polling is continuing unaffected.

Polling is also now on for 77 Assembly seats in Odisha.

Among the early voters were the Union Home Minister and Congress candidate from Sholapur constituency in Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde and NCP nominee in Baramati constituency in Pune district Supriya Sule, daughter of Party Chief Sharad Pawar.

BJP candidate Gopinath Munde who is sitting MP from Beed aldo cast his vote in Nathra village.

Rajasthan Chief Minister and BJP leader Vasundhra Raje cast her vote at a polling station in Jhalawar.