People voting with hope for progress and peace

People came out in large numbers on Thursday to cast their votes with the hope for progress and development on the second biggest day of the nine -phased general elections.

Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth, actress Vidya Balan, and actors Aamir Khan and Dharmendra voted during the sixth phase of the elections.

A voter, Ram Chandran, said that they were hoping that the country would be able to tread on the path of development post elections.

"We vote for the nation progress, not for the individual's progress," said Chandran.

Meanwhile, all 1,615 polling stations in Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir have been declared "hyper-sensitive" after recent terror strikes in which three people were killed.

Women clad in burqas turned out in large numbers in Bijbehara town of Anantnag district in Kashmir.

Hoping for peace in the province, a voter, Abdul Rashid, said he was not in favour of boycotting the polls.

"We live in Jammu and we have come here to vote to bring an end to violence. In the last six years, we have seen tensions mounting. People have no work and they are still struggling," Rashid said.

Voters also queued up outside the polling booths in Firozabad district in Uttar Pradesh.

A voter, Arun, said that they were hoping that an efficient leader who can provide employment to the youth is elected prime minister.

"We are hoping that a good and efficient leader becomes the prime minister who can provide employment to the well-qualified but unemployed youth," said Arun.

Polling is underway for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections. Voting is taking place for 117 constituencies spread over 11 states and one union territory.

These are - all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, 19 in Maharashtra, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Madhya Pradesh, 7 each in Bihar and Chhattisgarh, 6 each in Assam and West Bengal, 5 in Rajasthan, 4 in Jharkhand and one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Puducherry.