New Delhi, Apr 17 (Agencies) : Polling began on a brisk note on Thursday morning across 12 states covering 121 constituencies in the fifth phase –the biggest – of the Lok Sabha elections, considered the most crucial for both the ruling Congress and BJP in their race to form the next government at the Centre.

More than 195 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot and decide the electoral fortunes of the old guard, generation-next leaders and many high-profile debutants.
 
Overall, 1,762 candidates are in the fray. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 44 of these seats in 2009 and the Congress 37.

Highlights:

• Voter turnout in three Chhattisgarh constituencies till 10am - Rajnandgaon: 26%, Kanker: 25%, Mahasamund: 24%
• Bihar CM Nitish Kumar casts his vote at Yarpur polling booth at Bakhtiarpur in Patna Sahib at 10.55 am
• Precautionary measures were taken in view of militant outfit, Manipur Maoist Party, boycotting the poll
• Rajasthan overall polling 13.83%; Highest polling in Sri Ganganagar 21.30%, lowest in Jodhpur 10.66%
• 10% of the 8.53 lakh voters today cast their votes to elect their representative from Inner Manipur Parliamentary seat till 9 am

In Bihar, which sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha, three per cent votes were cast in Pataliputra and Jehanabad, four per cent in Patna Sahib, Buxar and Arrah and five per cent in Munger by 9.30 am.
 
Among the early voters were former chief minister and RJD chief Laloo Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and their daughter Misa Bharti, the party's candidate from Pataliputra.
 
Misa is being challenged by rebel leader Ram Kripal Yadav.
 
Heavy security arrangements have been made as many of the seats fall in the Maoist belt. As per an Election Commission decision, voting in seven Maoist-hit assembly constituencies would end at 4pm, while in the rest, it would be conducted till 6pm.
 
The ruling JD(U) has high stakes in Nalanda and Munger. Nalanda, chief minister Nitish Kumar's home turf, has a strong presence of the powerful Kurmis.

However, voters boycotted the polls over power and water issues in booth number 149, 170, 232 of Islampur under Nalanda Lok Sabha seat.

In Karnataka, which gave the BJP its first government in the south, polling is being held in all 28 seats in one go.

After losing power to the Congress in the state, the BJP has brought back former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and Bellary star B Sreeramulu after a brief spell of separation in pursuit of a strong showing nationally.

Former IT czar Nandan Nilekani is making his electoral debut in Bangalore South as a Congress candidate.

The next biggest tranche of seats, 20, is being decided in Rajasthan. The BJP swept the assembly polls last year and pollsters see it on course for a rousing performance.

The most interesting battle in Rajasthan is being fought in Barmer where senior leader Jaswant Singh is contesting as an independent after denied a ticket by the BJP. The party later expelled him.
 
Polling is also underway in Maharashtra in 19 seats across the arid, backward region of Marathwada, the sugar-rich belt in the western part of the state and a part of coastal Konkan.

Top names in the fray are Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Gopinath Munde along with second-generation leaders Supriya Sule and Nilesh Narayan Rane.

In Uttar Pradesh, voting is being held in 11 constituencies. Former Union minister and BJP candidate Maneka Gandhi is trying her luck for the seventh time in a Lok Sabha contest, from Pilibhit.

In Odisha, chief minister Naveen Patnaik's apparently unshakeable credentials will be tested in polling for 11 seats including capital Bhubaneswar.

In Madhya Pradesh, balloting is taking place for 10 seats including capital Bhopal and Gwalior. The ruling BJP has been on a winning streak in the state polls, but the Congress and its key candidate, Jyotiraditya Scindia, will be hoping to turn the tables.
 
Polling is off the ground in West Bengal, covering four constituencies including Darjeeling from where football star Bhaichung Bhutia is the Trinamool Congress candidate.

In Maoist-hit Chhattisgarh, three seats are going to polls.
 
Veteran Congress leader Ajit Jogi is contesting from Mahasamund, while chief minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh is making his electoral debut in Rajnandgaon.

In Jharkhand, another state affected by Maoist violence, polling is being held for six seats including capital Ranchi and steel hub Jamshedpur.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Udhampur is conducting the election. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is contesting from the seat.

In Manipur, voting for the Inner Manipur seat will complete the polling process in the state. Congress holds both seats in the state.