New Delhi [India], April 26 : The voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections across 88 constituencies concluded on Friday with a voter turnout of 60.96 per cent as of 7 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
As many as 89 parliamentary constituencies polled on Friday across the 13 states and union territory.
Polling for the second phase was held for 20 seats in Kerala, 14 seats in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three each in Bengal and Chhattisgarh and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and Tripura.
Earlier, 89 constituencies were expected to vote in this phase. But polling in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, was rescheduled after the death of a candidate from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. Betul will now vote in the third phase, due on May 7.
Key candidates for this round included the Congress's Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot. From the BJP, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is in the fray against Congress's Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram, actors Hema Malini, and Arun Govil from 1980s iconic serial Ramayan, senior BJP leader Tejasvi Surya and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
From newlyweds to senior citizens, tribals to IT professionals, PwDs, women and youngsters, all were seen in queues waiting to cast their vote. With the conclusion of phase-2, voting has been completed in 14 States/UTs for General Elections 2024.
The next phase of the election is due on May 7. The counting of votes will be held on June 4 - three days after the seventh and last phase of the election on June 1.
Polling time was extended till 6 PM in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar to facilitate voters in hot weather conditions Special arrangements were made to combat the heat including provision of shamiyana, drinking water, medical kits, fans for convenience of voters.
In phase 2, voters from 46 villages in Bastar and Kanker PCs in Chhattisgarh cast their vote in a polling booth set up in their own village for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election. Thus, including phase 1, overall, 102 new polling stations were set for the first time in these PCs for the convenience of villagers.
The Commission had made special efforts to facilitate voting amongst the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), elderly, young and first-time voters, women, and transgenders.
Cricketing superstars Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath among others were seen voting at different Polling Stations in Bangalore. Striking a pose with their inked fingers, they carried the message of the importance of participation in the electoral process to the youth.
Tripura continues to lead the voter turnout charts in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections with 77.95 per cent voting till 5 pm, while Uttar Pradesh has registered the lowest turnout with 52.74 per cent, according to the data released by the Election Commission of India on Friday.
Karnataka, where 14 constituencies are voting today, recorded a turnout of 64.46 per cent by 7 pm, as per EC figures. Voting, which began at 7 am, took place in 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories and concluded at 6 pm.
The states of Manipur (76.06 per cent), and West Bengal (71.84 per cent), Chhattisgarh (72.13 per cent) and Assam (70.66 per cent) have also registered healthy turnouts till 5 pm.
For the Manipur Outer Parliamentary Constituency, the elections were concluded peacefully with 76.05 per cent voters casting their mandate till 4 pm on Friday.
The voting was held across 13 Assembly segments in eight hill districts from 7 am to 4 pm. While the voting was largely peaceful, polling with respect to three stations in the Ukhrul district was disrupted following the destruction of EVMs and other polling materials.
Maharashtra (53.51 per cent), Bihar (53.03 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (54.83 per cent) and Rajasthan (59.19 per cent) are the states with relatively low turnout.
The voter turnout of other states are as follows: Kerala (63.97 per cent), Karnataka (63.90 per cent), and Jammu and Kashmir (67.22 per cent). Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposition parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing to oust him from power.
As many as 1,202 candidates, including 1,098 males and 102 females were in the fray.
There were 8.08 crore male and 7.8 crore female voters among the electorates who will decide the fate of candidates. As many as 5,929 third-gender electors were also registered to exercise their franchise in the second phase of polls.
The apex poll body further said that 34.8 lakh first-time voters were registered to cast their votes.
There were over 14.78 lakh registered 85+ years old, 42,226 voters above 100 years and 14.7 lakh PwD voters for phase two who have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes.
The first phase of voting for the seven-phased Lok Sabha election, the world's largest electoral exercise, was held on April 19 in 102 constituencies across 21 states and UTs. According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout registered was over 62 per cent. The third phase election will be held on May 7.