Polling kicks off for second phase of Lok Sabha elections
Polling for second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha Elections kicked off on Friday. As many as 89 constituencies spread across 13 states and Union territories are going to polls in the second phase. To recall, the first phase was held on April 19 and the subsequent phases will be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Around 96.9 crore people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase election.
First phase of voting spans across 13 states
Here are the states where polling is taking place on Friday. Assam (5 seats), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (3), Jammu and Kashmir (1) Karnataka (14), Kerala (20), Manipur (1), Madhya Pradesh (7), Maharashtra (8), Rajasthan (13), Tripura (1), Uttar Pradesh (8), West Bengal (3). As many as 102 constituencies spread across 21 states went to polls in the initial phase.
Key contenders in Phase 2
Key contenders in Phase 2 of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections include Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon, DK Suresh from Bangalore Rural, Shobha Karandlaje from Bangalore North, Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South, HD Kumaraswamy from Mandya, Anil Antony from Pathanamthitta, Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Thiruvananthapuram. Also in the fray are Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from Jodhpur, Vaibhav Gehlot from Jalore, Hema Malini from Mathura, and Arun Govil from Meerut.
Voter turnout 66.1% in first phase, lower than 2019
Notably, the first and the largest phase of the general elections registered an underwhelming voter turnout of around 66.1%, which is a drop of nearly four percentage points compared to 2019. The number of voters in 93 of the 102 seats that went to polls was less than that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. According to reports, extreme heat, localized violence, and specific regional demands may have contributed to the subdued voter enthusiasm.
Repolling held in Manipur, scheduled in Arunachal
Notably, the Election Commission of India has ordered a repoll at eight polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh. This came after incidents of electronic voting machine damage and violence were reported during the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls held in the state on April 19. On Monday, repolling was held in 11 booths within the I-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, after violence was reported from several polling stations in the conflict-hit state during the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
