New Delhi, April 18: Polling for phase 2 of Lok Sabha elections 2019 has concluded across the 95 constituencies which were on the line today. More than 10 crore of the registered electorate exercised their right to franchise in this round of the electoral battle. As per the data released by the Election Commission, a total voter turnout of 67.84 per cent was recorded.
The constituencies which went to polls were spread across 11 states and 1 union territory. The maximum seats were contested in Tamil Nadu (38), followed by Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (10) and Uttar Pradesh (8). Lok sabha Polls 2019 Phase 2: As it Happened.
The state-wise turnout has been released by the EC, with the maximum voting being registered in West Bengal (75.2 per cent) and the minimum in Jammu & Kashmir (43.37 per cent).
LS Polls Phase 2: Find State-Wise Polling Percentage Below Till 6pm
Total voter turnout for 2nd phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 is 61.12%. pic.twitter.com/mw2R25FLWC
— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2019
The grand electoral battle had a registered electorate of 15.7 crore, who were to determine the fate of 1,606 contestants.
Even though the maximum turnout was recorded in Bengal, the state registered incidents of violence in poll-bound segments.
CPI-M MP and candidate Mohd Salim was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists in Raiganj constituency where he is seeking re-election when he went to a polling booth to check reports of vote rigging, officials said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also accused the Trinamool Congress of unleashing violence on its opponents, a charge denied by the ruling party in West Bengal.
In Kashmir, where the lowest polling has been recorded, stone pelters targeted a polling station in Srinagar city, injuring a policeman.
Most Srinagar polling booths reported sparse polling following a call from separatists to boycott the nationwide seven-phase polls that will end on May 19 and whose outcome will be known on May 23.
Polling in all other places was reportedly peaceful although complaints of glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) came from several states, briefly halting the electoral process.
In Karnataka, which witnessed a high-octane battle between the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) alliance, a total polling of 61.80 per cent was recorded. Unfazed by the summer heat and dust, voters turned out in large numbers in the 14 of the 28 parliamentary constituencies.
Polling was also brisk in Tamil Nadu where people will be electing 38 of 39 Lok Sabha members -- voting in Vellore has been postponed -- and 18 members to the state Assembly.
Tamil Nadu, where the main contest is between the coalitions led by the AIADMK and the DMK, too reported 61.52 per cent polling.
After initial dull moments, the voting picked up dramatically in Odisha, which is electing five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly members. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said it was confident of retaining power but the BJP said it was looking forward to a victory.
In Bihar, 58.14 per cent voting was recorded in five of 40 Lok Sabha seats which went to polls today. But people in about a dozen villages in all five constituencies boycotted the elections to protest against lack of development.
In western Uttar Pradesh, where Mathura, Hathras, Amroha, Agra, Fatehpur-Sikri, Aligarh, Nagina and Bulandshahr went to polls, a combined turnout of 58.12 per cent was registered.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2019 07:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).