Left leaders cast vote in Delhi, say democracy at stake

New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, polit bureau members Brinda Karat and Prakash Karat and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja were among the Left leaders who cast their votes in Delhi on Saturday and appealed to voters to exercise their franchise.

The Left leaders also expressed confidence in the Opposition INDIA alliance emerging victorious in the ongoing polls.

Talking to PTI after casting his vote at Delhi's Vasant Kunj, Yechury said: "I voted for India, for my country. I voted for democracy, unity of my country and my Constitution. The people of India will win. Therefore India will win. That is what I hope, I expect, and am sure of," Yechury told PTI.

"The prime minister of India himself, every day he speaks only to sharpen communal polarisation... The Election Commission has to take cognisance. Unfortunately, it is not doing so. But the people of India are opposing it," he said.

Annie Raja, who is in the fray from Kerala's Wayanad seat against Congress' Rahul Gandhi, cast her vote at a polling booth in New Delhi's Sanchar Bhawan.

"This election is a crucial election for the country, the people and their constitutional rights. So it is a historic election in that way... Now few seats are left, but in those constituencies, I appeal to the voters that they all vote for the INDIA alliance candidates," Annie Raja told PTI.

"The INDIA alliance is hoping and we are working to defeat the present communal, fascist government, and we are pretty confident we will win the election and form the government," she said, adding that the Left Front is also looking at increasing its tally, including in Kerala where Congress-led United Democratic Front is its main opposition.

Brinda Karat, who cast her vote at a polling station at St Columba's School in New Delhi, said she had to wait for almost an hour to cast her vote as the battery of the EVM control unit at her polling booth "drained out".

The Election Commission, however, said voting was halted only for 15 minutes due to the battery issue and was resumed later.

Raising concerns over the arrangements Brinda Karat said, "I have written a complaint here. How is it that in the morning at 9 am the battery of the machine is down? What are the arrangements that they have made?" she said.

Former CPI(M) general secretary and politburo member Prakash Karat said, "I voted today in defence of democracy, and against dictatorship because this is a very important election for the country," he said.

A voter turnout of 34.37 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in Delhi, where polling is underway for its seven Lok Sabha constituencies.

A total of 1.52 crore voters -- 82 lakh men, 69 lakh women and 1,228 people from the third gender category -- are eligible to cast their votes at more than 13,000 polling booths across the seven constituencies.

There are more than 2.52 lakh first-time voters this time.