Lok Sabha Elections Phase 2 Voting: Polling Concludes With Over 60 Percent Voter Turnout; Northeastern States Lead In Numbers

The main parties contesting in the Lok Sabha elections are, needless to say, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently in power at the Centre.

Attempting to take on the BJP are several parties, a couple of which have united under a bloc they have named 'INDIA' - The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

'INDIA' bloc is a multi-party political alliance of 41 parties, led by India's largest opposition party the Indian National Congress.

ALSO READ | Amid 'Hate Speech' Backlash, PM Modi Repeats 'Snatch Property' Charge On Cong

The fate of several bigwigs from top political parties will be sealed in Phase 2 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 taking place on Friday, April 26 in 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, BJP's Hema Malini, Tejasvi Surya, Arun Govil are among the key faces whose constituencies are going to polls on Friday, April 26, in the Phase 2 of Lok Sabha Elections. Read Full Report On Key Candidates Here

The schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. The voting for Lok Sabha elections 2024 is taking place in seven phases and started on April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

While voting for Phase 1 took place on April 19, and the second phase is happening today, polling for Phase 3 to Phase 7 will take place on: May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

• Phase 1/April 19 - 21 states/UTs - 102 constituencies

• Phase 2/April 26 - 13 states/UTs - 88 constituencies

• Phase 3/May 7 - 12 states/UTs - 12 constituencies

• Phase 4/May 13 - 10 states/UTs - 96 constituencies

• Phase 5/May 20 - 8 states/UTs - 49 constituencies

• Phase 6/May 25 - 7 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

• Phase 7/June 1 -  8 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

Lok Sabha Elections Full Schedule Here

The BJP hopes to return to power, banking on its tall leader Narendra Modi - the Prime Minister of the country - who is touted to be behind some major milestones the party has hit being in power at the Centre. Ram Mandir inauguration, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) implementation, central schemes like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, surgical strikes, Chandrayaan 3 are some major landmarks the BJP expects to fetch votes and hit their 400-par target through.

Parallely, the Opposition -- comprising parties like Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) etc. - has been trying to take on the BJP with, as per them, a "not-so-level playing field" amid the seizure of bank accounts of the saffron party's top rival Congress and arrests of key leaders.

On March 16, the Election Commission of India announced the detailed schedule of the seven-phase long Lok Sabha polls. As per the schedule announced by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, the second phase of polling will go live on April 26 while June 1 has been declared as the date for the seventh and last phase. The counting of votes across the 543 Lok Sabha seats and result announcement will take place on June 4.

According to the constituency-wise schedule announced by the apex poll body, on April 26, 88 constituencies across 13 states and union territories are set to go for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls 2024. Full List Of Constituencies Voting Today Here

Fourteen constituencies of Karnataka are going to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Friday, April 26, with the Congress and BJP locking horns on the electoral battleground again, in less than a year, in the state.  

It is a straight fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) combine unlike the Assembly elections in May last year which witnessed a triangular contest among the three parties.

The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The second phase of polling in the remaining 14 seats is on May 7.

The polling booth in Kethaganahalli village in Karnataka's Ramnagar district has been decorated with balloons and pink banners for the second phase of polling today. Booth number 236 comes under the Bangalore Rural Parliament constituency.

According to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena, 1.4 lakh polling officials will be on duty on Friday, April 26. Besides them, 5,000 micro-observers, 50,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Parliamentary Force and State Armed Police force of other States will also be deployed for security.

All the 2,829 polling stations of Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency will be webcast, Meena said.

"This is as per the request of our returning officers and observers; so we have given more than double the Central parliamentary force for Bangalore Rural constituency. Seven companies of Central paramilitary forces have been inducted at the constituency since April 22," he told reporters on Wednesday.

In fact, out of the total 30,602 polling stations in the first phase, 19,701 will be webcast, and 1,370 covered via CCTVs, he said.

(via PTI)

Congress on Thursday named candidates for eight Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. Congress fielded Kumari Selja from Sirsa, Deepender Hooda from Rohtak, Satpal Brahmachari from Sonipat.

Voting for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 is entering the second phase on Friday, April 26, with prominent political leaders like Congress's Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, KC Venugopal, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Tejasvi Surya, Hema Malini, Arun Govil and Independent candidate Pappu Yadav in the fray from some among the 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories going to polls.

As per the initial Lok Sabha elections 2024 schedule announced by the Election Commission of India, polling was to be held in 89 seats across 13 states and Union Territories in the second phase, however, this was reduced to 88 after polling for the Betul seat in Madhya Pradesh got rescheduled to the third phase due to the death of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

All You Need To Know About Phase 2 Of Lok Sabha Elections 2024

Voting has begun for the Phase 2 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 from 7 am. Voting is taking place in 88 seats across 13 states and Union Territories.

Though voting was to be held for 89 seats in the second phase as per the Lok Sabha election schedule announced by the EC on March 16, polling for the Betul seat in Madhya Pradesh was rescheduled to the third phase due to the death of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Full List Of Constituencies Voting Today

Polling for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will begin at 7 am in all phases. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 are taking place in seven phases. The first phase took place on April 19, while the second is taking place today. Phase 3 to 7 will take place on: May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Voting For Phase 2 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 began at 7 am and is underway in these states and Union Territories:

1. Kerala- All 20 seats

2. Karnataka- 14 of the 28 seats

3. Rajasthan - 13 seats

4. Maharashtra - 8 seats

5. Uttar Pradesh - 8 seats

6. Madhya Pradesh - 6 seats

7. Assam - 5 seats

8. Bihar - 5 seats

9. Chhattisgarh - 3 seats

10. West Bengal - 3 seats

11. Manipur - 1 seat

12. Tripura - 1 seat

13. Jammu and Kashmir - 1 seat

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was seen casting his vote at BES polling station in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

Karnataka is voting on 14 seats today in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

In Kerala, VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition, was seen in queue among voters to cast his vote at a polling booth in North Paravoor under Ernakulam Parliamentary constituency.

Long queue of voters at a polling station in Jammu as voting starts at 7am in Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

The UT has 5 parliamentary constituencies of which one votes today in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls

NDA candidate from Thrissur Suresh Gopi casts his vote at a polling station in Thrissur as Kerala votes on all 20 parliamentary constituencies in Lok Sabha polls today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to turn up to polling stations and vote in record numbers, as the second phase kicks off across 13 states and UTs.

"A high voter turnout strengthens our democracy. I especially urge our young voters and women voters to turn out in great numbers," he wrote on X.

A polling booth in Raj Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad was out of power even as voting was underway from 7 am. Polling officers were using phone flashlights at the polling booth, situated in St. Paul's Academy, Ghaziabad, to assist the voters.

Independent candidate from Purnea, Pappu Yadav, cast his vote on Friday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. "...I contested elections like a son and I am their son, I received their blessings. People used to have my political murder. I was pressured, Police hassled me and my vehicle was also impounded, yesterday too an attempt was made to murder me...MP, MLA tried to unleash terror here...Criminals and mafia were also called here against me...," Pappu Yadav said.

"This is just the blessings of people...They think that the public is a fool and anything can happen with money...Someone came and wrote a script of Mahabharat, it was written in Patna after my merge with Congress...Now the entire public of Purnea will watch the entire script of Mahabharat on 4th June. I too will watch it. It will be the beginning of a new politics...," he said.

Three-time former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress but couldn’t get the party ticket for Purnea as the seat went to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as part of the parties’ seat-sharing deal.

The southern state of Karnataka is voting today for as many as 14 seats as part of Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha election. In this light, several institutions, offices and services are set to be closed. Let's check what to expect today in the city of Bengaluru. Know What's Closed and What's Open In Bengaluru Today Here

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's fate will be sealed in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 as his constituency, Kerala's Wayanad, votes today. Congress leader and MP from Kerala's Wayanad Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election from the constituency. Rahul Gandhi is pitted against CPI's Annie Raja and BJP's K Surendran. In the 2019 election, Rahul Gandhi won by a substantial margin of more than 7 lakh votes against his closest rival, CPI's PP Suneer.

Voting was underway on Friday in Karnaraka's first phase of Lok Sabha polls. Fourteen of the 28 constituencies in Karnataka are voting in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. The Congress and BJP are locking horns on the electoral battleground again in less than a year.

Polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.

A total of 247 candidates -- 226 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the first phase covering most of the southern and coastal districts, where more than 2.88 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 30,602 polling stations.

In the contest is BJP MP Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South pitted against Minister Ramalinga Reddy's daughter Sowmya Reddy of Congress, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on BJP ticket from Bangalore North is fielded against former Indian Institute of Management Bangalore professor MV Rajeev Gowda of Congress.

Actor Prakash Raj was seen casting his vote at a polling station in Karnataka's Bengaluru. Karnataka's 14 of 28 seats are polling today, in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Union Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman, along with her father, cast her vote at BES polling booth in Bengaluru to cast her vote in the Lok Sabha elections.

With the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 just around the corner, the Election Commission of India has started issuing voter slips and sending them to the houses of the eligible voters. However, not all eligible voters have received their voter slips.

With several voters yet to receive their voter slips, a common question arises - can I still cast a vote in the elections without a slip?

The answer is YES. Eligible voters can vote without the slips if their name is mentioned on the electoral roll. Know More On This And Other Election FAQs Here - https://www.outlookindia.com/topic/election-faqs

Not even a year since BJP’s drubbing in Karnataka’s assembly elections, the saffron party – which has allied with JD(S) – and Congress will face each other in yet another electoral test in battleground Karnataka, this time for the 28 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

Of these constituencies, 14 in South Karnataka are heading for voting in the second phase on April 26. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments; the BJP on the other hand had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya. Read Full Report

Voting for the five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar to decide the fate of 50 candidates is underway amid tight security on Friday morning. Polling started at 7 am in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka and will continue till 6 pm.

Over 93 lakh voters, including 45.15 lakh women and 306 belonging to the third gender, will decide the fate of 50 nominees, including three women, in these five seats.

Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and his son Vaibhav Gehlot, who is a candidate from Jalore Lok Sabha seat, cast their votes in the second phase of the general elections on Friday.

Ashok Gehlot and Vaibhav Gehlot cast their votes at a polling booth in Jodhpur.

A voter can check the EPIC number on their Voter ID card to find out which polling booth they are supposed to vote at.

What is EPIC number

The Election Photo ID Card (EPIC), also known as the Voter ID card, has a unique 10-digit alpha-numeric code which is assigned by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The number is a proof that you are a registered voter.

On any Voter ID card, the EPIC code is on the front. One can also get the EPIC number from the National Voters' Service Portal (NVSP).

How to find EPIC number online?

• Open the official NVSP portal.

• Under ‘Services’, click on ‘Search in Electoral Roll'.

• Select ‘Search by Details’ or ‘Search by Mobile’.

• Fill the required details in to see the EPIC code.

How To Find Polling Booth With EPIC Number

• Visit electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

• Enter the EPIC code, state, captcha code, and click ‘Search.’

• The booth details will be displayed on the screen of your device.

Former Indian cricket player Rahul Dravid cast his vote in Karnataka's Bengaluru on Friday. Karnataka's 14 of 28 constituencies are voting on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. "Everyone must come out and vote. It is an opportunity we get in a democracy," Rahul Dravid said after voting.

Voting is underway in conflict-hit Manipur in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 amid heavy security.

Voting for 13 Assembly segments under Outer Manipur seat is being held in the second phase today.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on Friday on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, or VVPAT.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is likely to pronounce the verdict.

BJP candidate from Mathura Lok Sabha seat Hema Malini cast her vote in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. "It is going good so far. It is 100% better than the first phase because our party workers are working hard and even I appealed to the people personally to come out and vote and people are coming out in large numbers to vote. I am very sure everything is going to be good... We were anyway going good, but with the 'gathbandhan' we are going to perform twice as well...," Hema Malini said.

Voter Turnout Till 9 AM For Phase 2 of Polling:

-Maharashtra has recorded the lowest voter turnout with 7.45 per cent.

-Tripura records the highest with 16.65 per cent.

-West Bengal has recorded turnout of 15.68 per cent

-Manipur, Chhattisgarh have also recorded turnout of over 15 per cent

-Uttar Pradesh's turnout stood at 11.67 per cent

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murty said her husband came to vote, despite ill health. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was seen casting his vote at BES polling station in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

Karnataka is voting on 14 seats today in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

"Narayana Murthy was unwell and he was in the hospital. We got him discharged, and after voting, we are taking him home," she said.

Noting that she had travel plans, but wanted to come and vote before that, she said, "Matadana Shreshta Daana [voting is noble]. Rather than sitting and talking, come out, vote, and express your opinion. More and more people should come out and vote."

Tejasvi Surya, the BJP MP from Bangalore South, the Karnataka constituency in fray in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections appealed to party supporters to vote, saying "BJP supporters and voters are 80%, but on the polling day we come out and vote 20%, whereas the Congress supporters are 20% and they come out and vote 80%."

"Each BJP voter must come out and vote because our vote matters. If you are not voting, Congress' 20% is coming out and voting. No matter the heat, or the rain, it is your vote which will decide the future of the nation for the next five years. Please come out and vote," Surya said.

Sitting MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was seen at a polling booth where he came to cast vote in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Shashi Tharoor is pitted against Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas for paper ballot voting, and also rejected the pleas seeking complete EVM-VVPAT verification and physical deposit of VVPAT slips. A batch of pleas sought 100 per cent cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta delivered two concurring verdicts in the matter. Pronouncing the judgement, Justice Khanna said the court has rejected all the petitions, including those seeking resorting back to ballot papers in elections. READ MORE

An estimated 9.21 per cent turnout was logged during the first two hours since voting began for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday.

According to election officials, voter turnout till 9 am was about 9.21 per cent. Out of 14 segments that are going to polls today, highest turnout of 14.33 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 12.82 per cent, and least 7.70 per cent in Chamarajanagar and Mandya.

In the three constituencies in Bengaluru city the turnout was 9.08 percent in Bangalore South, 8.64 percent in Bangalore North and 8.14 percent in Bangalore South.

(via PTI)

India's mega Lok Sabha elections 2024 have commenced April 19 with the first of the seven phases of voting taking place to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha and decide whether the Narendra Modi-led NDA government will come to power at the Centre for a consecutive third term or if the Opposition, which has united under a bloc called 'INDIA', will remove the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led dispensation from the central government position.

The Lok Sabha elections are taking place in seven phases. While voting for the first phase took place on April 19, the last phase will take place on June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.

The general elections are taking place with the BJP riding on what it calls the success of the Narendra Modi-led central government it attributes to the milestones such as Ram Mandir opening, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rollout, G20 Summit, sending India to the Moon via Chandrayaan 3 among other big events, some of which have been criticised by the Opposition and a section of people in the country.

READ MORE | 969 Mn Voters, 543 Seats, 7 Weeks: India's Lok Sabha Elections, World's Largest Democratic Excercise, In Numbers

Even before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the nomination of independent MP Navneet Rana as its Lok Sabha candidate from Vidarbha’s Amravati constituency, posters undersigned by Me Amravatikar (I am Amravatikar), mysteriously surfaced in the main city centre, warning of her defeat: “Modi ji aapsebairnahi, Rana teri khair nahi” (Our fight is not with Modi, but Rana we won’t spare you).

The decision to ignore opposition from local BJP workers and field Rana, a Tollywood actor-turned-politician was dubbed as ‘political suicide’. It triggered a rebellion within the party and the ruling Mahayuti alliance. She filed the nomination for the Scheduled Caste reserved seat on April 4, only minutes after the Supreme Court upheld the validity of her allegedly fraudulent mochi caste certificate. READ FULL REPORT

Northeastern states are leading in polling turnout as 11 am data by the Election Commission of India showed over 36 per cent polling in Tripura, the highest among the states voting in second phase, and over 33 per cent turnout in conflict-hit Manipur. West Bengal's turnout at 11 am stood at over 31 per cent, while Maharashtra's was the lowest at 18 per cent.

Karnataka, where 14 constituencies are voting in the second phase, has recorded a turnout of 22.34 per cent. Uttar Pradesh has logged 24.31 per cent polling so far.

Former Karnataka CM and JDS candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha seat HD Kumaraswamy along with his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy cast their vote in Lok Sabha polls, at a polling booth in Ramanagara.

Addressing a public rally in North Malda of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "We say that the mangoes and 'makhana' produced by the farmers of Malda is world famous. The income of these farmers should increase, for which, we will set up a food processing industry. TMC demands their share in that also."

Addressing a public rally in North Malda of West Bengal on Friday, PM Narendra Modi said, "Nothing can happen in Bengal without corruption."

"They did not even spare farmers... TMC has regularly played with the future of Bengal's youth... 26000 families were left jobless, along with the burden of loans they had taken to pay TMC to secure those jobs," PM Modi said.

Karnataka, where 14 constituencies are voting in the second phase, has recorded a turnout of 22.34 per cent. Long queues were seen at polling booths, as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers came out to vote during the early hours since the voting began at 7 am.

In the first phase for Karnataka, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.

Polling for 13 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats and one Assembly constituency in Rajasthan is underway. An estimated 26.84 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 11 am in Rajasthan.

Voting began at 7 am in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a bypoll is being held.

Supreme Court on Thursday issues notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea seeking direction to frame rules to the effect that if NOTA (None Of The Above) gets a majority, the election held in the particular constituency shall be declared null and void and a fresh election shall be conducted to the constituency.

NOTA, the commonly known acronym for 'None of the above', is one of the options displayed on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), allowing voters to exercise the option of not voting for any poll candidate in the fray in their constituency. 

READ MORE | WHAT IS NOTA

BJP candidate from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Atul Garg, cast his vote on Friday morning in the constituency as second phase voting began. "Getting a BJP ticket from Ghaziabad [Lok Sabha seat] is a guarantee of victory," said Atul Garg.

Congress candidate from Bengaluru Rural Constituency of Karnataka, DK Suresh, said wearing saffron doesn't make one a Hindu.

"My area is totally dry. 50% of the work to recharge groundwater has been done. In the future, we are going to construct and reconstruct tanks to refill them with treated water or groundwater wherever the availability of resources is there... In India, we are all Hindus... Wearing saffron doesn't mean only they are Hindus, even we pray everyday. This is the culture passed on by our parents...," he said.

Voters of a remote area of Dhalai district in Tripura came to cast their votes by using boats in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. Tripura is leading the charts in voter turnout with over 36 per cent polling till 11 am, as per EC figures.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar cast his vote in Kanakapura in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. His brother and Congress leader DK Suresh is contesting from Bangalore Rural constituency.

Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep was among the bigwigs who exercised their franchise on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. "It is a big day. Voting is a hope, not an assurance. The problems are rising in our country. Now, the request should not be for people to come out to vote but for the political leaders for whom we are voting," said Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep after he cast vote in Bengaluru today.

Voters across four constituencies in Bengaluru, which were among the 14 Lok Sabha seats that were polling in Karnataka on Friday, came out to vote in heat wave-like conditions to cast their vote.

Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru South are among the 14 constituencies in the state that voted in the first phase today.

A Prasad, a scientist at IMD Bengaluru, said: “Although Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has not included Bengaluru in the list of heat wave affected areas, the city does satisfy one of the heat wave conditions – the departure from normal temperatures by at least 4.5 degrees.”

READ MORE | Voters Grapple Severe Heat As IMD Issues Red, Orange Heatwave Alerts For 5 States

Speaking at a rally in Bihar, PM Modi on Friday called the Supreme Court judgment on cross-verification of EVM votes using VVPATs a "victory for democracy."

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas for paper ballot voting, and also rejected the pleas seeking complete EVM-VVPAT verification and physical deposit of VVPAT slips. A batch of pleas sought 100 per cent cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). READ FULL REPORT

Tripura, Assam, Manipur, West Bengal were among the states leading voter turnout at 1 pm as per data released by the Election Commission. Tripura recorded a turnout of 54.47 per cent, highest among the states polling in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday.

The voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, the states which are also battling extreme summer temperatures and heatwave, was between 31 to 38 per cent. Bihar's voter turnout at 1 pm stood at 33.80 per cent.

Here's the state-wise voter turnout at 1 pm as per Election Commission data:

• Assam 46.31%

• Bihar 33.80%

• Chhattisgarh 53.09%

• Jammu And Kashmir 42.88%

• Karnataka 38.23%

• Kerala 39.26%

• Madhya Pradesh 38.96%

• Maharashtra 31.77%

• Manipur 54.26%

• Rajasthan 40.39%

• Tripura 54.47%

• Uttar Pradesh 35.73%

• West Bengal 47.29%

Addressing a rally in Karnataka, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent speeches, saying that it is possible "he may shed tears on stage."

"You have heard PM's speeches, he is scared; it's possible he may shed tears on stage," Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi seems to be referring to PM Modi's recent remarks that the Congress is planning to redistribute people's wealth if voted to power.

Congress said it will continue with its political campaign on greater use of VVPATs to increase public trust in the electoral process. The party's statement came after the Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs.

The Congress was not a party, directly or indirectly, to the petition on VVPATs rejected by the Supreme Court today, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.

"We have taken note of the verdict of the 2-judge bench and our political campaign on the greater use of VVPATs to increase public trust in the electoral process will continue," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Karnataka, where voting is taking place in 14 of its total 28 constituencies, has recorded 38.23 per cent voter turnout as of 1 pm, as per data by the Election Commission.

Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru South are among the 14 constituencies in the state that voted in the first phase today.

The state is also grappling unusually warm summer. A Prasad, a scientist at IMD Bengaluru, said: “Although Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has not included Bengaluru in the list of heat wave affected areas, the city does satisfy one of the heat wave conditions – the departure from normal temperatures by at least 4.5 degrees.”

A groom arrived at his designated polling station in Rajasthan's Udaipur with 'band baaja' to cast his vote for the Lok Sabha elections. Polling is underway in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024.

A voter turnout of 33.80 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar where polling was underway in the second phase on Friday.

The polling started at 7 am in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka constituencies, and would continue till 6 pm, they said.

Fifty candidates are in the fray in these five seats, and over 93 lakh people are eligible to decide their fate, they added.

Purnea recorded a voter turnout of 36.59 per cent, Katihar registered 35.37 per cent, Kishanganj recorded 34.65 per cent, Banka registered 32.32 per cent and Bhagalpur recorded 30.29 per cent till 1 pm, officials said.

(via PTI)

More than 600 voters of a remote tribal village in Dhalai district, part of Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, boycotted the Phase 2 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, news agency PTI quoted the official as saying.

"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.

• Assam- 60.32%

• Bihar- 44.24%

• Chhattisgarh- 63.92%

• Jammu and Kashmir- 57.76%

• Karnataka- 50.93%

• Kerala- 51.64%

• Madhya Pradesh- 46.50%

• Maharashtra- 43.01%

• Manipur- 68.48%

• Rajasthan- 50.27%

• Tripura- 68.92%

• Uttar Pradesh- 44.13%

• West Bengal- 60.60%

NC leader Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday asked the Election Commission not to postpone polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.

The request came after the EC sought a report from Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the Chief Electoral Officer on representations submitted by some parties and three candidates seeking rescheduling of elections in the constituency due to adverse weather conditions.

"I appeal to the EC that such a step should not be taken.The demand for postponement is not from all parties. The weird thing is that some of the people who have written to the EC are not contesting. If I write to the EC about constituencies in Tamil Nadu etc. will they take notice," Omar Abdullah told a press conference in Srinagar.

Speaking to reporters in Surankote area of Poonch district, Mehbooba said, “They all have ganged up against me because they do not want to see me in Parliament. The people, cutting across religious and party lines, are coming forward in my support and they are, therefore, using the Election Commission to defer and rig the elections".

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress candidate in Rajanandgaon, Bhupesh Baghel, on Friday said he has received complaints about his photos on the EVMs being smaller and unclear as compared to those of his rivals.

In a post on his 'X' handle, Baghel said, "Voters have been calling and complaining that the photos of other candidates on the EVM are bigger in size and clear but my photo is small and relatively unclear. The photo was given as requested by the Election Commission."

Alleging conspiracy, Baghel said,"This exposes @ECISVEEP's claims of impartiality. Has this been done under a conspiracy? But this is not going to change the result."

The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.

A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".

"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.

(PTI Inputs)

A case has been filed against the BJP's Bengaluru South candidate Tejasvi Surya over 'soliciting votes on the ground of religion'.

Taking it to Twitter, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka wrote, "Case is booked against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS u/s 123(3) for posting a video in 'X' handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion."

The police have registered an offence against Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha candidate Chandrahar Patil for holding a 'padayatra' (foot march) allegedly without permission in Maharashtra's Sangli district, an official said on Friday.

A case under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act has been registered against Patil and three organisers, the official said.

(PTI Inputs)

• Assam- 70.66%

• Bihar- 53.03%

• Chhattisgarh- 72.13%

• Jammu and Kashmir- 67.22%

• Karnataka- 63.90%

• Kerala- 63.97%

• Madhya Pradesh- 54.83%

• Maharashtra- 53.51%

• Manipur- 76.06%

• Rajasthan- 59.19%

• Tripura- 76.23%

• Uttar Pradesh- 52.64%

• West Bengal- 71.84%

A voter turnout of 53.03 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar where polling was underway in the second phase on Friday, officials said.

The polling started at 7 am in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka constituencies, and would continue till 6 pm, they said.

Fifty candidates are in the fray in these five seats, and over 93 lakh people are eligible to decide their fate, they added.

Kishanganj recorded a voter turnout of 56.12 per cent, Katihar registered 55.54 per cent, Purnea recorded 55.14 per cent, Bhagalpur registered 47.26 per cent and Banka recorded 49.50 per cent till 5 pm, officials said.

The EVMs were destroyed at a polling station in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district on Friday after a clash erupted between two groups of people over whether to vote or not in the Lok Sabha elections.

According to the district administration, the villagers had earlier in the day decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development. However, after assurances and efforts by the local officials, polling went underway.

As per preliminary information, one of the groups wanted to vote while the other was keen to boycott leading to clashes between them during which they destroyed EVMs, and also indulged in stone-pelting.

(PTI Inputs)

• Assam- 70.68%

• Bihar- 53.60%

• Chhattisgarh- 72.51%

• Jammu and Kashmir- 67.22%

• Karnataka- 64.46%

• Kerala- 64.99%

• Madhya Pradesh- 55.19%

• Maharashtra- 53.71%

• Manipur- 76.46%

• Rajasthan- 59.64%

• Tripura- 77.95%

• Uttar Pradesh- 53.02%

• West Bengal- 71.84%

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday holds a raodshow in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly in presence of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.