Lok Sabha elections -- phase 2 voting underway: 25 per cent turnout till 11 am

Lok Sabha elections — phase 2 voting underway: 25 per cent turnout till 11 am

Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections is underway in 88 constituencies across 13 States and union territories. The voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

According to Election Commission of India data, 25 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours in the second phase of Lok sabha elections.

Tripura recorded the highest voter turnout of 36.42 per cent, followed by 35.47 per cent in Chhattisgarh, 33.22 per cent in Manipur and 31.25 per cent in West Bengal.

Maharashtra recorded the lowest turnout at 18.8 per cent. Uttar Pradesh (24.31 per cent), Bihar (21.68 per cent) and Karnataka (22.31 per cent) also saw low voter turnout in the first four hours.

The voter turnout in Kerala was recorded at 25.61 per cent, Assam 27.43 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 28.15 per cent Rajasthan 26.84 per cent and Jammu and Kashmir 26.61 per cent.

More than 1,200 candidates, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, and Bollywood actress Hema Malini, are in the fray for the 88 seats.

The polls are being held in all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 7 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.

The second phase of polling was to be held on 89 seats but the voting has been deferred to May 7 in Betul in Madhya Pradesh due to the death of the BSP candidate.

Of these 89 seats, the BJP-led NDA had won 56 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while the Congress-led UPA, 24.Counting will take place on June 4 and the results are also likely to be declared on the same day.