Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: 66% turnout in 2nd phase amid violence

Voting for Lok Sabha Polls 2019 Phase 2 will decide the fate of 1,644 candidates. Catch general elections 2019 live updates

9:45 PM

66% voter turnout recorded in phase 2

66% voter turnout was recorded in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said

A polling officer puts an indelible ink mark on the finger of a voter during the second phase of the general elections, at a polling station, in Nagaon | Photo: PTI

7:05 PM

Total voter turnout for 2nd phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is 61.12%

5:45 PM

Mayawati terms EC anti-dalit; says NAYA jumla of Congress

BSP supremo Mayawati Thursday alleged that the Election Commission has an anti-dalit mindset and that was why it had stopped her from campaigning in Agra, considered the 'Dalit capital' of northern India.

 

She also claimed that BJP leaders are taking the Army's name in their poll speeches violating the model code of conduct, but the EC is keeping mum.

 

5:43 PM

Poonam Sinha files nomination from Lucknow, to contest against Rajnath Singh

Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha who had rebelled against the BJP leadership, Thursday filed her nomination papers for the Lucknow parliamentary seat from where Union Minister Rajnath Singh is seeking re-election.

 

Accompanied by SP MP Dimple Yadav and Shatrughan Sinha, Poonam filed her papers at the Collectorate as the candidate for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the seat, which goes to polls on May 6.

 

4:50 PM

Voter turnout till 3 PM for 2nd phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019

Voter turnout till 3 PM for 2nd phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019

 

 Maharashtra - 46.63%, Tamil Nadu - 52.02%, Odisha - 53%, Manipur - 67.5%, Uttar Pradesh - 50.39%, Chhattisgarh - 59.72%, Karnataka - 49.26%

4:24 PM

46.63% voter turnout in Maharashtra till 3 pm

An average 46.63% polling was recorded till 3 pm in 10 constituencies of Maharashtra where polling is underway in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday

 

Polling is being held in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur and Solapur Lok Sabha constituencies

4:02 PM

Congress complains to EC about faulty EVMs in Maharashtra

The Congress on Thursday said it has submitted 33 complaints to the Election Commission about "glitches" in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) at some polling booths across Maharashtra's 10 Lok Sabha seats where voting was underway.

 

It also flagged concerns about poor lighting arrangements at some polling centres, the statement said.

3:58 PM

Akhilesh Yadav files nomination from Azamgarh

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat.

 

The SP chief said Azamgarh is the 'karambhoomi' of 'samajwadis' and exuded confidence that the people will continue to repose their faith in him by giving him blessings and support.

 

3:39 PM

33% voter turnout till 1 pm in Odisha

Around 33% of the over 76.93 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 1 pm Thursday, as polling progressed peacefully in the five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly seats in Odisha

 

3:32 PM

Nearly 30% polling in Udhampur, Srinagar Lok Sabha seats till 1 pm

Jammu and Kashmir recorded nearly 30% polling till 1 pm in Udhampur and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituencies Thursday

3:19 PM

Tamil Nadu leaders make beeline to vote; 39.49% turnout so far

Tamil Nadu recorded 39.49% voting till 1 pm in 38 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, with Chief Minister K Palaniswami and DMK chief M K Stalin among the early voters

 

2:54 PM

2:50 PM

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav files nomination from Azamgarh parliamentary constituency.

2:38 PM

2:27 PM

Sardar Patel statue not built to spite Nehru: Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's imposing statue in Gujarat has not been built to "belittle" former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

 

Speaking at an election rally, Modi said though the Congress says Patel was their leader, no leader of that party has visited the statue so far.

 

"Don't you feel proud when the Statue of Unity and Gujarat's name appear when you search for the world's tallest statue on Google?

 

"I have not built Sardar Patel's statue to belittle Pandit Nehru. Patel's stature is so tall that you don't have to try too hard to make others look smaller," Modi said in his speech, most of which was in Gujarati.

 

The 'Statue of Unity', dedicated to Sardar Patel, was unveiled by Modi on October 31 last year at Sadhu Bet island on Narmada river. The 182-metre tall statue was built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore.

2:20 PM

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav asks EC to rectify malfunctioning EVMs immediately

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Thursday expressed concern over reports of EVM malfunctions in some parts of the Uttar Pradesh where polling for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls are taking place and asked the Election Commission to take immediate steps to rectify them.

 

Akhilesh ,who arrived here to file his nomination papers, said he has been apprised about EVM malfunction in Bulandshahr and some other places.

 

"It is the responsibility of the EC to rectify the problem within 15 minutes where ever there are reports of EVM malfunction so that polling is held undisturbed," the SP president said.

2:19 PM

Deve Gowda defends family politics, his grandsons contesting LS polls

Faced with criticism for turning the JD(S) into a family enterprise, party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda Thursday said people and party workers wanted his grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna to contest from Mandya and Hassan Lok Sabha constituencies.

 

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in Hassan, Gowda said his opponents accused him of indulging in familypolitics but his rise in politics was possible because of God and voters, whom his family served to the best of its ability.

 

"People describe this as family politics. We are the children of farmers. We believe in God. My father was an ordinary farmer. By the grace of God, we grew in stages in politics.

 

"It (growth) is not in anyone's hand. Voters have strengthened us. We, whether it is Revanna (PWD minister), myself or (chief minister) Kumaraswamy have served them to the best of our ability," he said.

 

Justifying the decision to field his grandsons from Mandya and Hassan,Gowda said people were adamant that the two be fielded, which theyrespected.

2:18 PM

Cash seized from BJP candidate's car in Odisha

 

A static surveillance squad on Thursday seized Rs 4 lakh in cash from the vehicle of a BJP candidate in Dhenkanal district, police said.

 

The cash was seized after Ashok Nayak, who is contesting from Hindol assembly seat, could not provide satisfactory answers about the source of the money, Dhenkanal SP Anupama James said.

 

The car was intercepted by the special team of Odisha police near Mangalpur chhak on Bhapur-Dhenkanal road.

 

Nayak was being interrogated at Dhenkanal Town police station, the SP said.

2:13 PM

2:13 PM

46.42 per cent polling recorded in Assam till 1 pm

An estimated 46.42 per cent of over 69 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 1 pm Thursday in five parliamentary constituencies of Assam, an election official said.

 

The voting process for the second phase began at 7am in 8,992 polling booths of Karimganj (SC), Silchar, Autonomous Districts (ST), Nowgong and Mangaldoi Lok Sabha seats.

 

According to the official, there were reports of EVM glitches in several booths, but the polling personnel have addressed the issues.

 

Mangaldoi recorded maximum polling till 1 pm at 50.97 per cent followed by Autonomous Districts at 49.90 per cent, Karimganj (SC) at 46.87 per cent and Silchar at 44.13 Nowgong recorded the lowest voter turnout among the five seats at 41.42 per cent.

1:51 PM

Criminal complaint filed in Delhi's Patiala House Court by one Joginder Tuli seeking direction to police for registration of FIR u/s 124A (IPC- Sedition charges) against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for making allegedly derogatory statements against PM Narendra Modi.

1:40 PM

1:28 PM

Nearly 18 per cent polling in Udhampur, Srinagar LS seats till 11 am Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir recorded nearly 18 per cent polling till 11 am in Udhampur and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituencies, poll official said.

 

Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency recorded 26.28 percent polling, with Reasi district registering the highest of 28.8 percent polling till 11000 hours, poll officials said.
 

Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency recorded 5 per cent polling, with highest 6.5 per cent polling recorded in Ganderbal district till 1100 hours.
 

Voting began on a peaceful note Thursday in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, with voters in border district of Kathua and Udhampur turning up early morning to exercise their franchise, officials said.

1:17 PM

India will be freed of poverty the day it gets rid of the Congress: Rajnath Singh

India will be freed of poverty the day it gets rid of the Congress: Home Minister Rajnath Singh at West Bengal rally.

1:14 PM

LS polls: 19.58 per cent turnout till 11 am in Karnataka

An estimated 19.58 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in 14 constituencies of Karnataka Thursday, where the direct contest is between the Congress-JD(S) alliance and the BJP.

 

The highest turnout was recorded in Dakshina Kannada with 32.10 per cent and the least in Bangalore Rural with 13.54 per cent till 11 am, poll officials said.

 

In three constituencies of Bangalore North, Central and South 15.85 per cent, 15.53 per cent and 19.48 per cent voter turnout have been recorded so far respectively.

1:11 PM

18 per cent polling in Odisha till 11 am

Around 18 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling Thursday in five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha, election officials said.

 

The electoral fortunes of 279 candidates, including Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union minister Jual Oram, will be decided in the second phase of voting.

While Patnaik is in the fray from Hinjili and Bijepur assembly seats, Oram is contesting from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency.

 

Over 76.93 lakh voters will decide the fate of 279 candidates in Thursday's polling. Out of the total electorate of 76,93,123, there are 37,47,493 women voters. At least 605 electors belong to the third gender.

 

An estimated 18 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise during the first four hours of polling till 11 am, and voting is gradually picking up, officials said.

1:10 PM

1:07 PM

12:59 PM

12:57 PM

Voter turnout till 11 AM in Tamil Nadu is 30.62%