Elections 2019 Phase 2 Voting: West Bengal recorded the highest voting per cent 51.6% till 1 PM.
Polling in West Bengal witnessed several incidents of violence, including an attack on CPM candidate Mohammad Salim's car. Stones were hurled at Mr Salim's vehicle when he was on way to cast his vote in Patagora of Raigunj constituency.
Despite the violence, West Bengal, along with Tamil Nadu, witnessed a turnout of over 30 per cent till 1 pm in the second phase.
Polling is also being held in 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in UP, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry. However, voter turnout has been low in Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir.
Several high profile candidates are in fray among the 1,600-odd contestants in this phase. Union ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and DMK's Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi, BJP's Tesjaswi Surya and Hema Malini, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah to name a few.
Meanwhile, simultaneous polls are also held for a few Assembly seats in Odisha, including the two constituencies from where chief minister Naveen Patnaik is contesting.
Here are the Highlights from Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 2 Voting:
Election 2019: 69% average polling recorded in three Chhattisgarh constituencies
An average 69 per cent polling was recorded in three constituencies of Chhattisgarh where polling was held in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, an official said.
Voting was held in Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund Lok Sabha seats, all having Naxal presence, the official said.
Voting ended in four Assembly segments - Antagarh, Keshkal, Bhanupratappur and Kanker - in the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency and Manpur-Mohla Assembly segment of Rajnandgaon parliamentary seat at 3 pm as per the schedule, he said.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: AAP West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar files nomination with Gopal Rai
Aam Aadmi Party's West Delhi candidate, Balbir Singh Jakhar, files nomination. AAP leader Gopal Rai also present, reports news agency ANI
Elections 2019: Voter turnout till 3 PM in Jammu and Kashmir is 38.5%, including 5.7% in Srinagar
Voter turnout till 3 PM in Jammu and Kashmir is 38.5%, including 5.7% in Srinagar, reports news agency ANI
Constituencies voting in Phase 2 Lok Sabha Polls 2019
India votes | the 2019 roadmap
Seats Voting today
April 18, 2019
| State | Voting | Constituencies |
|---|
| Tamil Nadu | 38/39 | Arakkonam, Arani, Chennai Central, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chidambaram, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Kanniyakumari, Karur, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Nilgiris, Perambalur, Pollachi, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Sivaganga , Sriperumbudur, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Theni, Thoothukkudi, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Tiruvannamalai, Viluppuram, Virudhunagar, Tiruvallur |
| Karnataka | 14/28 | Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur, Kolar, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural |
| Maharashtra | 10/48 | Akola, Amravat, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Buldhana, Hingoli, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur |
| Uttar Pradesh | 8/80 | Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Fatehpur Sikri, Nagina, Amroha, Mathura, Agra |
| Bihar | 5/40 | Banka, Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Purnia |
| Odisha | 5/21 | Aska, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Kandhamal |
| Assam | 5/14 | Mangaldoi, Karimganj, Silchar, Nawgong, Autonomous District |
| Chhattisgarh | 3/11 | Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker |
| West Bengal | 3/42 | Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Raiganj |
| J&K | 2/6 | Srinagar, Udhampur |
| Manipur | 1/2 | Inner Manipur |
| Puducherry | 1/1 | Puducherry |
An EVM destroyed during clashes in Chopra, Raigunj
In West Bengal, an EVM was vandalized during a clash between TMC and BJP workers in Chopra.
Villagers of Mangoli Kala in Fatehpur Sikri boycott the Lok Sabha elections 2019 over a lack of adequate irrigation facilities in the village. Polling official of booth number 41 said, "Nobody has turned up to vote till now."
In Uttar Pradesh, the voter turnout was recorded 38.9% till 1 pm. While 31.3% was recorded in Bihar.
A 53-year-old polling officer died of heart attack today in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar reserved (SC) Lok Sabha constituency where polling was underway, an official said. Shantamurthy, who hailed from Hannur, suffered the heart attack at polling booth number 48 around 10.30 a.m. and died on the way to a hospital.
Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar casts his vote at a polling booth in Dodda Halahalli, Kanakapura Taluka.
BJP MP and candidate from Mathura Hema Malini said, development in Mathura is all due to my efforts. The SP-BSP are only engaged in fighting with each other. There is a huge Modi wave here.
VIPs, including political leaders, celebrities and candidates were among the early voters who exercised their franchise in 14 Lok Sabha seats across central and southern Karnataka today. "Among the early voters were 86-year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma, his two sons -- Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and PWD Minister HD. Revanna, their wives Anitha and Bhavani, and his grandsons Prajwal and Nikhil," said poll official.
Voting picked up with an overall polling percentage of 24.31 being reported from eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the first four hours. Polling is underway in Nagina (SC), Amroha, Bulandshahr (SC), Aligarh, Hathras (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura and Agra (SC) constituencies in the second phase of polls.
According to the Election Commission, polling percentage till 11.00 am was - 23.78 in Nagina, 24.64 in Amroha, 24.94 in Bulandshahr, 23 in Aligarh, 25.93 in Hathras, 23.71 in Mathura, 25 in Agra and 23.47 in Fatehpur Sikri. Polling gathered the maximum pace in Aligarh and Mathura after a slow start. In Aligarh, the polling percentage touched 23 per cent by 11.00am, from 7.6 per cent at 9.00 am. Similarly, in Mathura, the polling percentage at 9.00 am was 8.82 per cent, and at 11.00 AM the polling percentage surged to 23.71 per cent.
Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah cast their votes at a polling station in Munshi Bagh Area in Srinagar LS constituency. Omar Abdullah said, "Now that Lok Sabha polls are due to conclude, we can only hope that Centre along with EC gives people of Jammu and Kashmir an elected govt which is their right."
Faulty EVMs reported in many states, big stakes in Tamil Nadu
Lok Sabha Polls 2019: 33.5% voter turnout till 11 am in West Bengal
West Bengal recorded 33.5% voter turnout till 11 am, while the turnout for other states like Tamil Nadu 30.6%, Uttar Pradesh, 23.4%, Jammu & Kashmir 15.1%, Maharashtra 21.5% and Karnataka 19.6% was recorded respectively.
Nearly 17% polling recorded in West Bengal polls
Nearly 17 per cent of the electorate cast their votes amid stray incidents of violence in the three northern West Bengal constituencies in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections today. Tea garden workers were among those who turned out in strength in the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri constituencies, while Muslim community members were seen in good numbers at the prestigious Raiganj seat in the early hours.
In the first two hours till 9 am, the overall polling percentage was 16.78, with Raiganj recording 17.45, Jalpaiguri 16.84 and Darjeeling 16.14 per cent turnout, an Election Commission (EC) official said in Kolkata. Voting across 5,390 polling stations began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
"Only difference this time is that people are far more aware of the situation in our nation": Farooq Abdullah
JD(S)-Congress may win 10-12 seats out of 14: HD Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said the Congress-JD(S) alliance is expected to win 10-12 seats out of 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka.
"Today I request all voters to go to the polling station and cast their vote, whatever decision you will take will form the future of the country. Please put your valuable vote and don''t miss it," Mr Kumaraswamy said after casting vote.
"Elections are crucial for protecting the interest of the farming community. Out of 14 Lok Sabha seats, the JDS-Congress candidates may achieve 10-12 seats in this election," he added.
Later, HD Kumaraswamy, while speaking to ANI, said, "Dynasty politics isn''t an important issue now, country''s problems are the main issue. Only because of dynasty politics and regional politics, this country developed in several states. We''re not bothered about criticism from BJP."
Maharashtra Congress chief and sitting MP from Nanded Ashok Chavan casts his vote.
9.2 Per cent voter turnout recorded till 9 AM in Bihar
About 9.2 per cent of the over 86 lakh electorate in Odisha exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling in Bihar on Thursday, with reports of EVM malfunctioning and poll boycott in some booths. Altogether 86.01 lakh persons are eligible to vote to decide the fate of 68 candidates in the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha seats of Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnea, Banka and Bhagalpur. "9.19 per cent of voting was recorded in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha seats. Polling has been peaceful so far," an election official said.
Voting at a slow pace in Uttar Pradesh
Voting is progressing at a slow pace in Uttar Pradesh, with an overall polling percentage of 10.76 being reported from the eight parliamentary constituencies in the state during the first two hours.
Polling is underway in Nagina (SC), Amroha, Bulandshahr (SC), Aligarh, Hathras (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura and Agra (SC) constituencies.
According to the Election Commission, polling percentage till 9.00 am was - 12.82 in Nagina, 10.72 in Amroha, 11.40 in Bulandshahr, 7.6 in Aligarh, 12.30 in Hathras, 8.82 in Mathura, 11.36 in Agra and 11.05 in Fatehpur Sikri. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar and another actor-turned-politician Hema Malini are among the candidates whose fate will be decided in today's polling.
Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda and his wife cast their votes at a polling station in Karnataka's Hassan constituency.
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Buxar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, cast his vote at a polling station in Bhagalpur in Bihar.
Polling underway for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra
Polling underway for the 10 Lok Sabha seats spread mainly in Maharashtra's Vidarbha and Marathwada regions in the second phase of elections in the state despite glitches in VVPAT-EVMs in some areas. The 10 constituencies are Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur (SC) and Solapur (SC). The main contests are between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena and Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), besides the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a Dalit-Muslim front. There were reports of glitches in the VVPAT-EVMs in Nanded, Latur and Solapur which either delayed polling or stopped it midway. Unofficial reports said at least 75 EVMs were replaced with spare ones in different polling stations in Nanded alone.
105-year-old Kabaibai Ganpati Kamble along with her family cast her vote at a polling station in Maharashtra. Seated on a wheelchair, Ms Kabaibai was accompanied by her grown up children and other fourth-generation relatives to the polling station in Harangul New Colony in Latur.
Voting underway in 14 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka
Voting is underway in 14 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, where the contest is mainly between the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and the BJP, in the second phase of parliamentary polls. Prominent contestants in this phase include former prime minister H D Deve Gowda (Tumkur), his grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Hassan and Mandya respectively, as also Union minister Sadananda Gowda (Bangalore North), and senior Congress leaders Veerappa Moily (Chikkaballapura) and K H Muniyappa (Kolar).
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar casts his vote
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and party's candidate from Fatehpur Sikri casts his vote at the polling booth in Radha Ballabh Inter College in Mathura for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.
An 80-year-old patient, Jogindero Devi, comes from Kathua district hospital at polling booth number 2, in Kathua, to cast her vote for the Lok Sabha elections 2019. She will return to the hospital after casting her vote.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy after casting his vote in Ramanagara says, "Dynasty politics isn't an important issue now,country's problems are the main issue.Only because of dynasty politics®ional politics,this country developed in several states.We're not bothered abt criticism from BJP."
A senior citizen couple, 91-year-old Shrinivas and 84-year-old Manjula, cast their votes at a polling booth in Jayanagar of Bangalore South Parliamentary constituency.
TTV Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam or AMMK is contesting 38 of the 39 seats in the state and has already announced its candidates for both Lok Sabha elections and state assembly by-polls. His party has been given "gift pack" as a common symbol for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and Assembly by-polls in Tamil Nadu.
Minutes after Rahul Gandhi urged voters to cast their vote for NYAY, implying the Congress, senior party leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted saying, "Now, Nyay (justice) will happen".
Rahul Gandhi tweeted saying, when you vote today, remember that you vote for Nyay.
People queue up outside Waliwar C polling booth number 105 in Ganderbal district of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency.
Lok Sabha Polls 2019: 16.8 voter turnout till 9 am in West Bengal
Tamil Nadu has recorded 13.5 voter turnout till 9 am, the highest among the 11 states that are voting in the phase 2 of the Lok Sabha elections. Only 9.2 per cent of the voters have exercised their franchise in Bihar. While in Uttar Pradesh the voter turnout was recorded 10.8%, West Bengal 16.8%, Maharashtra 7.9%.
A newly married couple arrive at a polling station in Udhampur to cast their votes.
Chennai: DMK President MK Stalin casts his vote at polling booth at SIET College in Teynampet.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy their son and JD(S) candidate from Mandya, Nikhil, cast their votes at a polling station in Ramanagara in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.
DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan casts his vote in Chennai South Parliamentary constituency in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections begins, with 95 seats spread across 11 states and a union territory.
DMK Lok Sabha candidate from Thoothukudi, Kanimozhi casts her vote at a polling station in Chennai's Alwarpet, says, "People in the opposition have been harassed, raids targeted at opposition candidates. BJP have completely taken over AIADMK."
The voting in Mathura is yet to begin due to EVM malfunction.
Tamil Nadu: Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan and his daughter Shruti Haasan cast their votes at polling station 27 at Alwarpet Corporation School in Chennai.
Early voters at a booth in Darjeeling. Three key constituencies in West Bengal are voting in the second phase. Trinamool Congress and the BJP have campaigned aggressively for these seats.
A pregnant woman and her husband, after casting their vote at polling booth number 164 in Nehru Nagar of Solapur in Maharashtra.
Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde casts his vote at a polling station in Solapur, Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy casts his vote at a polling station in Selam. All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu are voting in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Poll on Hold in Parts of West Bengal for Flawed EVMs
The second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019, is yet to begin at booth number 29/134 at Islampur Hindi FP School of Uttar Dinajpur, in Raiganj Parliamentary constituency due to defective EVMs.
Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan and his daughter Shruti Haasan queue up outside polling station 27 at Alwarpet Corporation School in Chennai to to cast their votes in second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.
Faulty EVMs Marring Elections in Bengal
In West Bengal, Congress candidate Deepa Dasmunshi failed to cast her vote at Kaliagunj seat due to EVM malfunctioning. She is still waiting. Gorkha leader Binoy Tamang also could not cast his vote due to faulty EVM at booth number 23/76 in Darjeeling. However, efforts are on to replace the EVM machines.
Karnataka: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrives at polling booth 54 in Jayanagar of Bangalore South Parliamentary constituency to cast her vote.
Polling is yet to begin at booth number 29/134 at Islampur Hindi FP School of Uttar Dinajpur, in Raiganj, Parliamentary constituency West Bengal. The EVM at the booth is not functioning.
Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde casts his vote at a polling station in Solapur, in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu: Nalini Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram and his wife Srinidi Rangarajan casts their vote at a polling station in Karaikudi, Sivaganga.
Mobile Internet Services Snapped in Srinagar
Mobile internet services have been snapped in Srinagar and other parts of the valley as a precautionary measure, as Srinagar and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies head for polling today.
Actor turned politician Rajinikanth casts his vote at the polling station in Stella Maris College, in Chennai Central parliamentary constituency in the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019.
Maharashtra: 179 candidates are contesting in ten constituencies. Of these 12 candidates are women. The prominent candidates are former Maharashtra Chief minister Ashok Chavan, NCP's state vice president Rajendra Shingne and BJP's Pritam Munde who is sitting lawmaker and daughter of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde.
Tamil Nadu: 822 candidates are contesting in 38 constituencies. There are 63 women candidates in this constituency. The prominent candidates are DMK's Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and Congress' Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram.
Uttar Pradesh: 85 candidates are contesting in eight constituencies. There are 10 women candidates in this constituency. The prominent candidates are BJP lawmaker Hema Malini and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar.
Bengal: 41 candidates are contesting in three constituencies. There are 3 women candidates in this constituency. The heavyweights include BJP's Raju Bista who is an entrepreneur and social worker, Congress' Deepa Das Mumshi who is wife of former Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi and CPM's Mohammed Salim who is two-time lawmaker.
Bihar: 69 candidates are contesting in five constituencies. Of these three candidates are women. The heavyweights include RJD's Shailesh Kumar who is sitting lawmaker and RJD Youth Wing President, JDU's Santosh Kumar who is sitting lawmaker from Purnia and Congress' Dr Mohammad Javed.
Karnataka: 241 candidates are contesting in 14 constituencies. Of these 15 candidates are women. The prominent faces are Union Minister Sadananda Gowda, Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda from the Janata Dal (Secular).
Congress leader P Chidambaram casts his vote at a polling station in Karaikudi, Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu.
Latest visuals from polling station number 38 & 39 in Bhagalpur parliamentary constituency in Bihar.