LS polls LIVE | Phase 2 records 60% voter turnout; Tripura highest at 77.53%
EVM glitches, bogus voting reported in Kerala and Bengal; voters in a few villages in UP's Mathura, Rajasthan's Banswara and Maharashtra's Parbhani boycott polls
A voter turnout of over 60 per cent was recorded till 6 pm on Friday (April 26) in the second phase of polling across 88 Lok Sabha seats in 13 states and Union territories. Tripura logged the highest voting percentage at 77.53 per cent while Uttar Pradesh recorded the lowest at 52.74 per cent. The polling percentage is expected to go up in the final tally.
Manipur recorded the second-highest voter turnout at 76.06 per cent followed by West Bengal (71.84 per cent) and Assam (70.66 per cent).
Kerala, which went for single phase polls on Friday had a polling percentage of 70 per cent.
Fourteen Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 63.9 percent, with Mandya recording the highest (74 percent) and Bangalore Central the lowest (49 percent). Bengaluru once again recorded low turnout across constituencies.
The polling percentage recorded in the rest of the states were – Bihar (53.03 per cent), Chhattisgarh (72.13 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (67.22 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (54.83 per cent), Maharashtra (53.51 per cent), and Rajasthan (59.19 per cent).
While complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting were received from some booths in Kerala and West Bengal, voters in a few villages in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, Rajasthan's Banswara and Maharashtra's Parbhani boycotted polls over various issues.
Polling for the second stage of the seven-phase elections started at 7 am and stretched beyond the stipulated 6 pm in several states where long queues were witnessed post dusk. Intense heat wave condition prevented many voters from visiting the polling booths in the day.
Till 3 pm, Tripura recorded the highest polling percentage (68.92 per cent) while the lowest turnout was in Maharashtra at 43.01 per cent.
“Aggregate turnout at 3 pm in Phase 2 is 50.25 per cent," the Election Commission said in a statement.
Polling was held in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh (Cong), and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) are among the key candidates while BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies.
Stressing on the importance of each vote, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi issued impassioned appeals asking people to step out and exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election.
3 dead in Kerala
In Kerala, the turnout was 51.64 per cent. As the day progressed, people continued to queue up in increasing numbers outside the over 25,000 polling booths in the state to cast their vote.
The election process, held amid tight security arrangements, was primarily incident free except for instances of bogus voting and breakdowns of electronic voting machines (EVMs) being reported in some booths of the state. Such incidents resulted in delaying the polling process in the affected booths.
One person each reportedly died at Palakkad, Alappuzha and Malappuram after casting their vote and a polling agent died after collapsing at a booth in Kozhikode.
In Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, recorded a turnout of 68.92 per cent till 3 pm. Election officials said there were some complaints from a few booths but those were "promptly addressed".
A jawan of the Madhya Pradesh Special Armed Force deployed on poll duty allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at a government school where he was stationed in Gariaband district under the Mahasamund seat in Chhattisgarh, where a voter turnout of 63.92 per cent was recorded till 3 pm.
Newly-weds come to cast ballots
A polling booth at Sivni village in Balod district (Kanker seat) was decorated like a wedding 'mandap', with a display of rituals of traditional weddings. Several brides and grooms, dressed in their wedding finery, cast their votes at several polling booths. In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, there was a turnout of 46.68 per cent till 3 pm.
An estimated 60.32 per cent of the 77,26,668 voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm in the five parliamentary constituencies of Assam. In restive Manipur, where polling is being held under high presence of security personnel, the turnout was a high 68.48 per cent.
Out of 14 segments that are going to polls in Karnataka, the highest turnout of 58.76 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur at 57.49 per cent. The least was 40.10 percent in Bangalore Central. The turnout was 40.77 per cent in Bangalore South and 41.12 per cent in Bangalore North.
Free food for those with inked fingers
Various restaurants in Bangalore were offering free dosas, laddu, coffee and other food items at discounted rates to customers who cast their vote. Till 3 pm, the voting percentage in Karnataka was 50.93.
A private hospital assisted 41 inpatients cast their vote with the help of city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Green corridors were created for the ambulances across constituencies to ensure easy, hassle-free voting.
A voter turnout of 43.01 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in eight constituencies in Maharashtra, while in Rajasthan, the turnout was 50.27 per cent. Incidents of confrontation between the supporters of the Congress candidate and an independent candidate were reported at a couple of places during polling in Barmer-Jaisalmer Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan.
Police said they were looking into the complaints besides some about fake voting from some places.
A voter turnout of 44.13 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in the eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. Senior citizens dominated the early hours of voting in Noida in the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency. Some residents' welfare associations made arrangements for electric vehicles to ferry voters to and from the polling booths.
In Bihar, the turnout was 44.24 per cent, 60.60 per cent in in West Bengal and 57.76 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir.
After Friday's phase, polling will be over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura. In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
The third phase of elections for 94 seats across 12 states and Union territories will be held on May 7. Counting will be done on June 4.
Live Updates
- 26 April 2024 4:03 PM IST
Over 600 Tripura tribal voters boycott polls over bad road
More than 600 voters of a remote tribal village in Dhalai district, part of Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, abstained from voting on Friday due to the unrepaired condition of a 7-km village road, an election official said.
The villagers, numbering around 900, have been persistently demanding repairs for months, emphasising the road's critical importance to their community, the official added.
"As per schedule, the polling team reached Sadai Mohan Para polling station under Raima Valley Assembly constituency in Tripura East Lok Sabha seat," the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gandacherra (Raima Valley), Arindam Das, told PTI over the phone.
The villagers are standing outside the polling booth but not entering it to cast their votes as they are protesting against government apathy, the official said.
"We are hopeful the villagers will join the festival of democracy, and the administration will look into their demands seriously", he said.
The villagers have also complained about the drinking water problem, Das said, adding that after getting the report, a team of officials rushed to Sadai Mohan Para to persuade the voters to exercise their democratic rights.
"I heard voters of two polling booths, one at Maldapara (Sadai Moha Para) in Dhalai district and another at Ampi in Gumati district, are not going to cast their votes as their demand for road and water supply has not been addressed. Officials have gone there to persuade the villagers to cast their vote in the elections," state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath told the media.
"Apart from two incidents, the polling was moderate and peaceful in all the booths so far. The CPI(M) has failed to send polling agents to the booths. It seems it is fleeing the battleground," Nath added.
- 26 April 2024 4:02 PM IST
Kharge and Rahul appeal to voters: Step out to protect democracy
Stressing on the importance of each vote, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday issued impassioned appeals asking people to step out and exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election.
While Kharge urged voters to come out and vote to protect democracy from the clutches of dictatorship, Rahul asked them to come out and be soldiers of the Constitution.
Addressing citizens of the country, Rahul said, "Today is the second phase of this historic election which is going to decide the fate of the country. Your vote will decide whether the next government will be of 'a few billionaires' or of '140 crore Indians'."
"Therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to step out of their homes today and become a 'soldier of the Constitution' and vote to protect democracy," Gandhi said in Hindi in a post on X using the hashtag "#Vote4INDIA".
Echoing him, Kharge said this is not an ordinary election and voters should not be swayed by any diversionary tactics. " 'We, the people of India' - this soul of the Constitution of India should reverberate in your hearts and minds before you push the voting button..."
"Always make your vote count. For it may change the lives of 140 crore Indians by bringing the paradigm of Yuva Nyay, Nariman Nyay, Kishan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay," Kharge said.
He asked people to imagine a future where justice, freedom, equality and liberty are guaranteed, promising a future of rapid inclusive growth and transformative policies.
"My dear first time voters, cut the clutter and distance the din, for you are the real changemakers and I welcome each one of you in this movement for Democracy," the Congress chief added.
- 26 April 2024 3:16 PM IST
Over 47% voting in 3 Bengal LS seats till 1 pm
Three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal recorded over 47 per cent voting till 1 pm in the second phase of polling on Friday, an Election Commission official said.
Polling is underway in Darjeeling, Balurghat and Raiganj constituencies, and voting will continue till 6 pm.
Darjeeling recorded the highest voter turnout of 49.09 per cent, while Raiganj and Balurghat registered 47.56 per cent and 44.93 per cent polling, respectively, he said.
"Polling is peaceful and there is no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the parliamentary constituencies," the official said.
A total of 47 candidates, including state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, are in the fray in this phase, with 51.17 lakh people eligible to exercise their franchise.
Altogether 5,298 polling stations have been set up across the three constituencies. There are 1,999 polling stations in Darjeeling, 1,730 in Raiganj and 1,569 in Balurghat, he said.
A total of 272 companies or 27,200 personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), alongside 12,983 state police personnel have been deployed for the polls, the official added.
- 26 April 2024 3:15 PM IST
46.31% voter turnout till 1 pm in 5 LS seats of Assam
An estimated 46.31 per cent of 77,26,668 voters exercised their franchise till 1 pm in the five parliamentary constituencies of Assam, where polling is underway in the second phase on Friday, election officials said.
The highest polling of 49.72 per cent was recorded in Darrang-Udalguri, closely followed by 49.14 per cent in Karimganj, 46.40 per cent in Diphu (ST), 44.48 per cent in Nagaon and 40.23 per cent in Silchar, they said.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.
The prominent candidates who exercised their franchise are Assam Minister for Excise, Transport and Fisheries Parimal Suklabaidya and his Congress rival Surya Kanta Sarkar in Silchar (SC), Congress candidate Joyram Engleng in Diphu (ST) and sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi in Nagaon.
Altogether 77,26,668 voters, including 38,61,559 women and 179 persons of third gender, are likely to exercise their franchise in 9,133 polling stations.
Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase.
- 26 April 2024 3:10 PM IST
In a first, members of Tripura’s Bru community cast their votes
In a first, members of the Bru community in Tripura exercised their franchise for the Lok Sabha polls on Friday.
The Bru migrants, who were staying in refugee camps of North Tripura district in 2020, have received permanent settlements across 12 locations in the state.
They had also voted during the assembly elections held last year.
