Elections 2024 LIVE updates: The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections saw a 65% turnout
Voting for 88 constituencies in the second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections across 13 states and union territories has begun. Over 1,200 candidates, including 4 candidates from Outer Manipur, are contesting the polls.
At 9 am, 9.3% voter turnout was recorded across 13 states and union territories. Chhattisgarh and Manipur recorded over 15% voter turnout while Maharashtra recorded the lowest turnout at over 7% polling. In 2019, over 10% polling was recorded in these 88 seats till 9 am.
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 will go to polls tomorrow.
The prominent contestants in the fray for the second phase are Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Hema Malini and Arun Govil, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.
In 2019, the NDA had won 56 of the 89 seats and the UPA 24. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.
Out of the seven stages, the first phase of the elections were held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories. The polls saw a voter turnout of around 65.5%.
Here are the LIVE updates on Phase 2:
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Around 9.84 per cent of over 93 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar cast their votes till 9 am. Polling started at 7 am in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka and will continue till 6 pm. As many as 45.15 lakh women and 306 belonging to the third gender, will vote for 50 candidates.
Senior citizens dominated the early hours of voting in Noida in the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency as polling began here Friday morning in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election.
The queues were short and many booths reported brisk voting in the first hour, according to some of the electors.
Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 11.98 per cent till 9 am on all 20 Lok Sabha seats.
13.82 per cent of voters cast their ballots till 9 am in six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.
Around 17 per cent of voters cast their votes till 9 a.m. in Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency.
Congress MP and candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor queued up outside a polling booth in the constituency as he awaited his turn to cast his vote. Mr Tharoor, who has held the seat since 2009, is facing a challenge as the BJP has named Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrashekhar.
#LokSabhaElections2024 | Congress leader Shashi Tharoor ques up to cast his vote in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.@umasudhir reports. #ElectionsWithNDTVpic.twitter.com/sivGV3MZxE
– NDTV (@ndtv) April 26, 2024
“Phele matdaan, fir jalpaan.(First vote, then refreshment),” underscores the idea that voting is a priority above all else. I humbly request the God-like public to take part in the second phase of voting for the Lok Sabha Election 2024 and exercise their right to vote in this grand festival of democracy,” Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.
Nearly 12 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first two hours of polling across 13 Lok Sabha seats and one assembly constituency in Rajasthan.
An estimated 9.15 per cent electors voted till 9 am in five parliamentary constituencies of Assam.
Nearly 15.7 per cent of 51.17 lakh voters in three Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal exercised their franchise till 9 am.
Madhya Pradesh recorded 13.82 per cent voting in the initial voter turnout trend till 9 am
Union minister and BJP candidate from Attingal Lok Sabha Constituency V Muraleedharan, cast his vote along with his family members in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. “This is an election which decides the future of our country and the people of this country have a full understanding of that fact. We are seeking a continuation of the corruption-free good governance of PM Narendra Modi for the last 10 years. People have decided to give a continuation to the corruption-free good governance of PM Narendra Modi,” he said.
WATCH: “Our Future Is At Stake”: BJP Leader Tejasvi Surya’s Message For Young Voters
|
Phase 2 Turnout |
|||
|
States |
No of Seats |
2019 Phase 2 TO |
2024 Phase 2 (9 AM) |
|
All India |
88 |
70.1 |
9.3 |
|
Assam |
5/14 |
81.3 |
9.7 |
|
Bihar |
5/40 |
62.9 |
9.8 |
|
Chhattisgarh |
3/11 |
75.1 |
15.4 |
|
Jammu & Kashmir |
1/5 |
72.5 |
10.4 |
|
Karnataka |
14/28 |
69.0 |
9.2 |
|
Kerala |
20/20 |
77.8 |
11.9 |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
6/29 |
67.7 |
13.8 |
|
Maharashtra |
8/48 |
62.8 |
7.5 |
|
Manipur |
1/2 |
84.1 |
15.5 |
|
Rajasthan |
13/25 |
68.4 |
11.8 |
|
Tripura |
1/1 |
82.9 |
16.7 |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
8/80 |
62.2 |
11.7 |
|
West Bengal |
3/42 |
80.7 |
15.7 |
Polling percentage till 9 am in three Lok Sabha seats of Chhattisgarh
17.52% in Kanker Lok Sabha
14.33% in Mahasamund Lok Sabha
14.59 % in Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha
“No matter how much people tried to put me down, tried to harass and murder me politically, including conspiracies to even harm and kill me, my car being seized, and harassment by the police prosecution. I considered Purnea as my mother and decided to contest alone. Why do you think Purnea is a hot seat today. It is the blessings of the people from here. No Narendra Modi, no Nitish Kumar, No Lalu Yadav from here, Just Pappu,” Purnia Lok Sabha Independent candidate Pappu Yadav said.
Kerala has registered an early voter turnout of 5.62% with all 20 Lok Sabha seats polling since 7am. People queued up outside the 25,000 polling booths in the state to avoid the hot weather as the day progresses.
Lok Sabha Polls 2024: “Participate In Great Festival Of Democracy”: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
“I appeal to all the voters to use your valuable vote to strengthen democracy and participate enthusiastically in this great festival of democracy,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said.
Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Finance Minister, Narayan Murthy, Rahul Dravid Among Early Voters
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, software industry icon N R Narayana Murthy, his wife and Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty, former cricketer Rahul Dravid and actor Prakash Raj were among the early voters as polling began in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka.
Lok Sabha Polls 2024: “PM Modi Will Create History”: BJP’s Vasundhara Raje
BJP leader Vasundhara Raje cast her vote at a polling booth in Jhalawar. “The country wants development, this is why BJP will form the government again and PM Narendra Modi will win a third term. Jhalawar MP Dushyant Singh has been receiving good support… I believe he will create history this time as well… We can never take anything for granted. Everything is in the hands of God and the voters,” she said.
MATHURA
Hema Malini (BJP) vs Mukesh Dhangar (Congress) vs Suresh Singh (BSP)
WAYANAD
Rahul Gandhi (Congress) vs Annie Raja (CPI)
MEERUT
Arun Govil (BJP) vs Sunita Verma (SP) vs Devvrat Kumar Tyagi (BSP)
“We, the people of India’ – this soul of the Constitution of India, should reverberate in your hearts and minds, before you push the voting button. Do not forget that this is not an ordinary election. It is an election to protect Democracy from the clutches of Dictatorship. To all my dear citizens, from 89 Constituencies in 13 States and UTs, do not get swayed by any diversionary tactics and lies. Always make your vote count. For it may change the lives of 140 Crore Indians by bringing the paradigm of YUVA NYAY, NAARI NYAY, KISAAN NYAY, SHRAMIK NYAY, HISSEDARI NYAY,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.
Three constituencies in northern West Bengal — Darjeeling, Balurghat and Raiganj constituencies — go to polls today. A total of 47 candidates, including state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, are in the fray for the three seats, with 51.17 lakh people eligible to vote.
Voting is underway for 14 constituencies in Karnataka. A total of 247 candidates — 226 men and 21 women — are in the fray.
This election is witnessing a straight fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) combine.
Hassan, Mandya, Kolar, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur are the 14 constituencies going to polls today.
Voting for the five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar to decide the fate of 50 candidates has begun. Polling began in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka and will continue till 6 pm
The seats where polling is underway include Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Amroha.
Even though IMD has forecast normal weather for phase two Lok Sabha polls, the polling time has been extended till 6 PM in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar to facilitate voters in hot weather conditions.
Here are the top 10 candidates in Phase 2:
Hema Malini (BJP), Mathura
Rajeev Chandrashekhar (BJP), Thiruvananthapuram
Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Thiruvananthapuram
Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Wayanad
Vaibhav Gehlot (Congress), Jalore
Tejasvi Surya (BJP), Bangalore South
Bhupesh Baghel (Congress), Rajnandgaon
KC Venugopal (Congress), Alappuzha
Ravindra Singh Bhati (Independent), Barmer
Urging everyone in constituencies voting today, in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, to participate in record numbers. A high voter turnout strengthens our democracy. I especially urge our young voters and women voters to turn out in great numbers. Your vote is your…
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2024
BREAKING: Polling Begins Across 88 Constituencies
Polling has begun across 88 constituencies in 13 states and union territories.
“We have made complete preparations for today’s elections. Polling booths have been decorated. There is no possibility of any kind of violence at any booth nor has any such report been received. Voters should come to vote without any worry. The festival of democracy is the pride of the country and voters have to participate in it,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.
Polling team travel by boats to reach their respective polling stations in Jiribam District of Manipur.
Around 2.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 152 candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections which will be held on 13 seats in Rajasthan on Friday, said Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta on Thursday.
He said that all preparations have been done for the second phase of the elections.
Around 28,758 polling booths have been made in the state. Over 1.72 lakh employees are on duty for the smooth conduct of the elections, he said adding that over 82,000 employees from Rajasthan police, home guard, RAC and CAPF have been deputed at different locations to conduct elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.
