In phase 2 of the Lok Sabha elections, which covered 88 seats across 13 states and a union territory, the reported voter turnout stood at 63.50%. The Election Commission of India declared that polling was largely peaceful.
The tentative voter turnout figure was announced at 8 pm but is expected to increase as reports from all polling stations are received. Moreover, voters arriving until the end of polling hours were allowed to cast their votes.
Some villages initially boycotted the polls in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, Rajasthan’s Banswara, and Maharashtra’s Parbhani. However, authorities successfully convinced voters to participate later on.
Polling commenced at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm, with several states facing intense heat conditions. The first phase of polling took place on April 19 across 102 seats in 21 states and Union territories.
The overall voter turnout of 63% marked a decrease from the 65% recorded in the first phase and the 68% reported during the second phase in 2019. Tripura recorded the highest voting percentage at 79.46%, followed by Manipur at 77.32%. Whereas, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar recorded lower turnouts at 54.85% and 55.08%, respectively.
In Tripura East (ST) constituency, two polling stations reported voter turnouts of over 100%, attributed to the use of Election Duty Certificates (EDC).
Manipur, with heightened security presence during polling, saw a high turnout of 77.32%. However, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a 7% decrease in turnout compared to the 2019 elections.
State-wise Turnout Highlights
Kerala recorded a turnout of 70.21%, with Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad constituency seeing a turnout of 72.70%. Madhya Pradesh recorded a turnout of 57.88%, while Assam saw 71.11% voter participation.
In Maharashtra, voter turnout was 57.83%, and in Rajasthan, it reached 64.07%. Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir reported turnouts of 55.08% and 71.91%, respectively. West Bengal recorded a turnout of 71.84%, but the Election Commission received nearly 300 complaints primarily regarding EVM malfunctioning.
Urban Turnout
Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency in Uttar Pradesh witnessed a turnout of 53.30%, lower than previous elections.
In addition, around half of Bengaluru voters abstained from voting, with lower turnout in urban constituencies such as Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, and Bangalore South, ranging from 52.81% to 54.42%.
The Election Commission will continue to assess and address any concerns raised during the polling process.
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