Politics National

Posted by admin on 2024-04-27 |

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In the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections that covered 88 seats across 12 states and a union territory, a voter turnout of 63.50 per cent was reported. The Election Commission (EC) stated that polling was mostly peaceful.

Prominent Candidates

Among the 1,210 candidates vying for seats were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, BJP’s youth figure Tejasvi Surya, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, actor-politicians Hema Malini and Arun Govil, and the outgoing Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla.

Turnout Stats

According to Election Commission data, Tripura boasted the highest voter turnout at 79.46 per cent, trailed by Manipur at 77.32 per cent. Uttar Pradesh saw a turnout of 54.85 per cent, while Bihar recorded 55.08 per cent. Polling in the Tripura East (ST) constituency concluded peacefully, albeit with two polling stations reporting voter turnouts exceeding 100 per cent, attributed to the use of Election Duty Certificates (EDC), as per the Chief Election Officer of Tripura.

Notable Voters

Actor Shiva Rajkumar arrived at a polling booth in Bengaluru to cast his vote on Friday during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. After casting his vote, he told ANI, “I am happy because it is everyone's right to vote. When we vote, we have every right to ask questions... People’s response is very good. I think they want a change...”

Actor Mammootty casted his vote in Ernakulam, Kerala.

Cricketer Mohammad Shami, who casted his vote in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, said, “I would like to appeal to the people that if you have got the right to vote, you should definitely vote and choose your preferred candidate and government.”

Incidents and Challenges

In Maharashtra’s Nanded district, a 26-year-old man reportedly damaged an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) with an iron object while attempting to cast his vote at a polling booth in Rampuri. The man, detained by police, claimed he sought a government supportive of farmers and laborers.

In Kerala, due to scorching heat, a substantial number of people flocked to polling stations towards closing hours.

In some constituencies, the voters also had to wait for hours in the queue due to technical reasons. Voters alleged that the lack of experience of polling staff in certain booths was the reason for the delay.