Tripura is experiencing a surge in voter participation following a 16.65 percent turnout recorded in the northeastern state until 9:00 AM, according to data released by the Election Commission of India.
Other states such as West Bengal (15.68 percent), Manipur (15.49 percent), and Chhattisgarh (15.42 percent) are also observing substantial voter turnout.
In contrast, Maharashtra has recorded the lowest turnout at 7.45 percent as of 9 am.
Voting percentages for other states participating in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls at 9 am are as follows: Assam–9.71 percent, Bihar–9.84 percent, Jammu and Kashmir–10.39 percent, Karnataka–9.21 percent, Kerala–11.98 percent, Madhya Pradesh–13.82 percent, Rajasthan–11.77 percent, and Uttar Pradesh–11.67 percent.
The overall voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections exceeded 67 percent.
Meanwhile, the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 commenced at 7:00 am on Friday across 88 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over 12 States and Union Territories.
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Due to intense heat, the polling time has been extended until 6 PM in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria, and Munger constituencies in Bihar to facilitate voters’ access to the voting booths.
Polling for 29-Betul PC in Madhya Pradesh was rescheduled to the third phase due to the unfortunate demise of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party. The polling for 102 seats in the first phase was completed on April 19.
A total of 34.8 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes, with an additional 3.28 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
In this electoral fray, 1202 candidates (males: 1098; females: 102; third gender: 02) are vying for victory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA, a coalition of opposing parties formed to challenge the BJP in the general elections, aims to remove him from power.
Kerala, where polling is ongoing for all 20 Lok Sabha seats in the second phase of the general elections on Friday, has recorded a voter turnout of 11.98 percent until 9 am, according to data shared by the Election Commission (EC).
Alappuzha is leading the voter turnout charts in the state with 13.63 percent, while Thiruvananthapuram recorded a turnout of 10.37 percent, and Wayanad, where Congress leader and sitting MP Rahul Gandhi is contesting, recorded 12.86 percent.
Voter turnout in other constituencies are as follows:
Alathur (11.91 percent), Attingal (11.83 percent), Chalakudy (13.13 percent), Ernakulam (11.44 percent), Idukki (11.85 percent), Kannur (12.81 percent), Kasargod (12.10 percent), Kollam (10.45 percent), Kottayam (12.79 percent), Kozhikode (12.22 percent), Malappuram (11.17 percent), Mavelikara (12.94 percent), Palakkad (13.57 percent), Pathanamthitta (11.37 percent), Ponnani (10.47 percent), Thrissur (12.71 percent), and Vadakara (10.14 percent).
Kerala will determine the fate of 194 candidates, with two seats -Alathur and Mavelikara- reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.
#LokSabhaElections2024 | Voter turnout till 9 am for phase 2 of polling:
Maharashtra records the lowest with 7.45%
Tripura records the highest with 16.65% pic.twitter.com/RfSN8an2Vq— ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2024
Key candidates in Kerala include:
– Wayanad: Congress leader and sitting MP Rahul Gandhi, contesting against Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
– Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, facing BJP leader and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI’s Pannyan Raveendran.
– Thrissur: K Muraleedharan of Congress competing against VS Sunil Kumar of CPI and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi of BJP.
– Attingal: Sitting MP Adoor Prakash of Congress contesting against V Joy of CPM and V Muraleedharan of BJP.
Voting began at 7 am on Friday. The Lok Sabha election is being held in seven phases until June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
The first phase of voting for the seven-phased Lok Sabha election, the world’s largest electoral exercise, took place on April 19 in 102 constituencies across 21 states and UTs. According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout registered was over 62 percent. The third phase election will be held on May 7.
