Phase 2 sees 68% turnout

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 18

Sixty-eight per cent voter turnout was recorded in the 95 constituencies across 11 states and Union Territory of Puducherry that went to the polls in Phase II of the Lok Sabha elections today. 

Voting was also held for 35 constituencies of the Odisha Assembly. 

The Election Commission said as against 69.62 per cent in 2014, around 67.84 per cent of 15.8 crore voters had exercised their franchise by around 6 pm. With voters still lined up at various booths, the percentage was set to go up.

At the end of Phase II, 14 states have completed voting as also 63 of the 147 seats in the Odisha Assembly. Voting in the Vellore parliamentary constituency of Tamil Nadu had been cancelled following a cash haul, while it was put off to April 23 on the lone seat of Tripura East on account of the law and order situation.

Polling by and large remained peaceful even as four deaths were reported in Odisha, including that of two polling personnel. 

In West Bengal and Manipur, polling was marred by sporadic incidents of violence and EVM glitches.

Some instances of Naxal attacks were reported in Chhattisgarh, but there were no casualties. According to the police, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast was triggered by Maoists in Mohla-Manpur Assembly segment of Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency.

In Tamil Nadu, where the polling was held for 38 seats, the voter turnout was 71 per cent. Namakkal LS seat recorded the highest voter turnout of 79.75 per cent.