A voter turnout of 73.05 per cent was recorded in three Lok Sabha constituencies, all having Maoist presence, in Chhattisgarh in the second phase of polling on Friday, officials said.
However, the figure may go up as final data from several booths was yet to be received, they said.
While polling took place amid tight security, a policeman deployed on election duty allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with a service weapon in Gariaband district, they said.

63% Voter Turnout Recorded In Phase 2 Of Lok Sabha Polls

Over 60 per cent turnout was recorded in polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, according to the latest figures from the Election Commission.

Polling had taken place in the first phase on April 19 for the other 12 parliamentary constituencies in the state, which sends 25 representatives to Parliament.

Soro MLA Parshuram Dhada on Friday returned to the BJP, weeks after resigning from the ruling BJD, ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha. Mr Dhada joined the BJP at an event organised at the BJP's headquarters here in the presence of its state president Manmohan Samal, former president Samir Mohanty and other leaders.

At 5 pm, 60.7% voter turnout was recorded across 13 states and union territories. Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Bengal, Assam and Tripura recorded over 70% voter turnout while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra recorded the lowest turnout at 52.6%, 53% and 53.5% respectively.

Voting has been stopped in a village in Karnataka after a clash broke out between two groups at a polling station. It happened in Indiganatta village in Chamrajnagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Soliga and Bedagampana community had decided to boycott voting due to lack of basic amenities in the village. Later, district officials persuaded the Soliga community and they came to the polling station to vote,which angered the people of other community, which led to the clash between the two groups. They attacked the polling station as well , police had to do a mild lathi-charge to control the situation. Few people have suffered mild injuries.

A case has been filed against BJP MP and Bengaluru South candidate Tejasvi Suryafor posting a video on Twitter and "soliciting votes on the ground of religion, said Election Commission.

BJP candidate from Darjeeling Raju Bista has accused the Trinamool Congress workers of unleashing violence in Chopra, one of the seven Assembly constituencies under this Lok Sabha seat. Mr Bista told reporters, "At Chopra, the ruling party workers are openly moving around with firearms. The voters are being intimidated. I have already informed the Election Commission about the matter. There is an urgent need for repolling at several polling booths here."

BSP chief Mayawati today said the country's unemployed people, farmers, women and other deprived sections must consider that they have brought "acche din" (good times) to the BJP but "what happened to their much publicised promise to bring acche din to you.

Nearly 38.96 per cent of voters cast their ballots till 1 am in six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in the second phase of general elections.

Tripura is leading the voter turnout charts after 54.47 per cent voting percentage was recorded in the state till 1 pm

A voter turnout of 35.73 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh

A voter turnout of 31.77 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in eight constituencies of Maharashtra

40.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm across the 13 parliamentary constituencies in Rajasthan

A voter turnout of 33.80 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Election Commission of India over a petition seeking that an election be declared void if the maximum voters have opted for the 'none of the above' (NOTA) option.

NC leader Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday asked the Election Commission not to postpone polls in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.

Raju Bista and Dr Munish Tamang, the BJP and Congress candidates respectively from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, one of the three in West Bengal going to polls in the second phase on Friday, will not be able to cast their votes for themselves. This is because neither Bista nor Tamang is a voter from Darjeeling. Both are voters from Delhi since the national capital had been their “workplaces” for years.

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Meerut and popular 'Ramayana' actor Arun Govil said on Friday that he has full hope that the BJP will cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls 2024. The Bharatiya Janata Party has replaced three-term MP Rajendra Agarwal and pitted Ramayana actor Arun Govil against Samajwadi Party's Sunita Verma and BSP's Devratt Kumar. "I want to tell people to cast their vote. We must exercise our vote. We have full hope that this time the BJP will cross 400," he said as the voting is underway in the constituency.

BJP candidate from Bengaluru South constituency, Tejasvi Surya, cast his vote in Bengaluru on Friday and stated that the Congress party may not win more than 30 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Congress party has become absolutely frustrated. Survey after survey shows that it may not win more than 30 seats... The more personal attacks and baseless allegations they make against the PM, history has shown that the Prime Minister has only gotten stronger and the BJP has only gotten more popular," he said.

A case was registered against BJP candidate K Sudhakar for alleged bribery and undue influence on electorate and cash worth Rs 4.8 crores was also seized, the Election Commission said on Friday.

Action was taken by the Flying Squads Team (FST) of Chikkaballapura, they said.

Taking to 'X', Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer on Friday said the FST of Chikkaballapura seized cash worth 4.8 crores.

Shashi Tharoor - looking to win the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat for a fourth consecutive term - has once again questioned the campaign strategy of the Left front.

 "I am confident that the people of Alleppey will stand with me. After phase one of the Lok Sabha elections, the PM is panicking. I thank the PM for bringing the Congress manifesto into the public domain in a big way. Our manifesto is for the people whereas BJP's is for Adani and Ambani. In Kerala, UDF will sweep all 20 seats. The way BJP and CPM attacked Rahul Gandhi, the people of Wayanad will show that they are with him," Congress candidate KC Venugopal said.

More than 10 per cent of the over 17.8 lakh eligible electors cast their vote in the first two hours of polling in the second phase of Lok Sabha election in the Jammu constituency.

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.

 "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.

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.

"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.

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.

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

Arun Govil (BJP), Meerut

Tejasvi Surya (BJP), Bangalore South

Bhupesh Baghel (Congress), Rajnandgaon

KC Venugopal (Congress), Alappuzha

Ravindra Singh Bhati (Independent), Barmer

88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories will go to poll today amid a furious row between the Congress and the BJP over manifesto and inheritance tax. Election will be held on all seats of Kerala, a chunk of Rajasthan and UP.

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.

The second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for today when a total of 88 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories will go to polls.

The second phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will see some of the most closely-watched contests.

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.