Braving heat, dust, rain, threats and fear, millions of Indian voters formed snaking queues outside polling booths as voters gathered to press the buttons of new electronic voting machines being used for the first time in the parliamentary polls, which kicked off Tuesday.

An estimated 50 to 55 percent of the 175 million electorate cast their votes in the first phase of the Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian Parliament) elections in 140 constituencies in 13 states and three union territories as sporadic violence by militants and guerrillas left 19 people dead and many injured.

Indian Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Yash want Sinha and other Indian leaders were among the 1,100 candidates in the fray for the first of the five phased elections staggered over three weeks up to May 10.

In India-controlled Kashmir, where elections were held for Baramulla and Jammu out of the six constituencies, militants carried out a series of attacks on polling booths killing four persons, including a journalist and two security personnel, and injuring many others in Baramulla constituency.

Although militants attempt to disrupt the polls, over 35 percent polling was recorded in the two constituencies, according to preliminary estimates.

Violence were also reported in Manipur, Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, where a duty magistrate was killed when the naxalites triggered a landmine blast in a village in Dhanbad.

Bihar, which witnessed comparatively less violence, registered over 50 percent turnout in 11 of the 40 constituencies which went to polls.

About 35 percent of 795,000 voters cast votes for one of the two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur where four para-military personnel on poll duty were killed and three others injured.

An estimated 60 percent of the 22.6 million voters in Karnataka cast their votes for 15 Lok Sabha and 120 assembly constituencies with the polling marked by stray violence.

Source: Xinhua