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October 3, 1999 NEWS ANALYSIS SPECIALS INTERVIEW CAMPAIGN TRAIL CONSTITUENCY ISSUES GALLERY MANIFESTOS INDIA SPEAKS! COUNTDOWN CHAT PREVIOUS RESULTS SCHEDULE DISCUSSION GROUP

Gill is a satisfied man Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill has expressed satisfaction at the by-and-large peaceful conduct of the 13th Lok Sabha elections after today's polling in 118 constituencies spread across ten states and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. At a post-poll briefing in New Delhi, Dr Gill said except Bihar, Assam and Tripura, where 18 people were killed, no major untoward incident was reported from any other place. The killings in Assam and Tripura also were not poll-related and involved attacks on security forces by militants, he said. Dr Gill said as per the preliminary estimates, the national average voter turnout today was 56 per cent. While ten people were killed in Assam -- five each in Tinsukhia and Barpeta -- six policemen and civilians and one militant was killed in Tripura. In the hyper-sensitive constituency of Madhepura in Bihar, where former chief minister and Rastriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav is pitted against Janata Dal (united) president Sharad Yadav, one block-level president of the RJD was killed in group clashes. In the other high-profile constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress president Sonia Gandhi is contesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Sanjay Singh, a high voter turnout was recorded. Asked about allegations of booth capturing by Sanjay Singh, Dr Gill said political parties have levelled complaints against one another and the system would deal with them. Dr Gill said voting was postponed in about 400 polling booths in West Bengal because of the flood situation. Polling here would now be held on October 5. Repolling, wherever necessary, would be held the same day. While Lakshadweep registered the highest voter turnout of 82 per cent today, the turnout in the other areas was as follows: 60 per cent in Narasaraopet in Andhra Pradesh, 55 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, 55 per cent in Assam, 56 per cent in Bihar, 55 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh, 65 per cent in Sikkim, 60 per cent in Tripura and 65 per cent in West Bengal. Polling will be held in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency of Jammu and Kashmir and outer Manipur tomorrow. Polling to the Khagaria, Rajmahal, Bhagalpur and Purnea constituencies of Bihar and Dhubri in Assam will be held on October 28. Counting for the constituencies where polling has concluded would be taken up on October 6 and the poll process completed by October 10. The results of the 45 constituencies where electronic voting machines were used are expected to be announced by afternoon. Tell us what you think of this report

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