New Delhi: Polling stations in 140 constituencies across 12 states opened at 0700 hrs IST for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Voters started queueing up at many of the 2,22,350 polling stations where approximately 19.4 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise.
A contingent of one million officials is overseeing the electoral process. There are 2,034 candidates in the fray.
The states going to polls are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Voting also began for the last of the two-phase assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
The first phase of polling was conducted April 16.
Andhra Pradesh:
The second and last phase of polling, covering 20 Lok Sabha and 150 assembly constituencies, began amid tight security in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday morning.
Polling began at 0700 hrs IST in 30,446 polling stations in 10 districts in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. There were complaints from some polling booths about the electronic voting machines not functioning.
Over 2.66 crore voters, half of them women, will decide the electoral fortunes of 254 candidates for the Lok Sabha and 1,822 candidates for the state assembly.
The second phase witnesses a keen and tough triangular contest among the ruling Congress, the four-party Grand Alliance led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and superstar Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
The PRP, which is making its electoral debut, appears to be strong in parts of south coastal region, posing a challenge to both the Congress and TDP. The caste factor is likely to play a dominant role with the Kapus, who constitute a sizeable chunk in East, West Godavari and Krishna districts, rallying behind Chiranjeevi.
Orissa:
The last of the two phase Lok Sabha and assembly elections began in Orissa amid tight security on Thursday morning, officials said.
Hundreds of people were seen standing outside polling booths in the capital when voting began at 0700 hrs IST.
"Voting started peacefully. No untoward incidents have been reported from any part of the state so far," a police official said.
An electorate of more than 145 lakh, including about seventy lakh women, will decide the fate of 84 candidates contesting 11 Lok Sabha seats and 688 politicians contesting 77 assembly constituencies.
Prominent among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections in the second phase are M A Kharabela Swain (Balasore), Ananta Nayak (Keonjhar) and Braja Kishore Tripathy (Puri). Tripathy had resigned from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on being denied a ticket and joined the BJP.
From the Congress, former central minister Srikanta Jena is contesting from Balasore, and Ranjib Biswal from Kendrapada. Among the key BJD candidates are industrialist- turned Rajya Sabha member Baijayant Jay Panda (Kendrapada), Tathagat Satpathy (Dhenkanal) and Pinaki Mishra (Puri).
Bihar:
Voting for the second phase of parliamentary elections in 13 of the 40 constituencies in Bihar began on Thursday morning amid heavy security arrangements.
Voters started queueing up at many of the 17,130 polling stations much before the 0700 hrs IST opening time.
In all, 169 people are eligible to exercise their franchise and decide the fate of 189 candidates.
Aditional General of Police Neelmani told IANS that security has been beefed up as "seven out of 10 districts where balloting are being held have been identified as Maoist-affected".
Of them, Sheohar, East Champaran, West Champaran and Badaha are considered Maoist strongholds.
Two air force helicopters have been deployed for surveillance and the border with Nepal has been sealed to check insurgency during the polls.
Madhya Pradesh:
Voting began in Madhya Pradesh for 13 parliamentary seats in the first of the two phase Lok Sabha polls amid tight security on Thursday morning.
Polling began at 0700 hrs IST across the state where 171,78,000 people, including 81,08,000 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise, election officials said.
The fate of 198 candidates, including nine women, will be decided in Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Sidhi, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara, Hoshangabad, Vidisha, Bhopal, Betul, Shahdol and Mandla constituencies. The last three seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Over 97,000 election officials have been positioned at 21,834 voting stations in areas going to the polls in the first phase.
The tribal dominated Mandla constituency has the highest number of polling stations at 2,255 while Satna has the lowest at 1,433.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have fielded their candidates in all 13 constituencies, while the Congress and Samajwadi Party have pitted candidates in only 12.
Tripura:
Polling for the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura began on Thursday morning amid tight security and air surveillances by military helicopters, officials said.
"To avoid the scorching summer heat, people in large numbers queued up in front of polling stations well before voting opened at 0700 hrs IST. Voting ends at 4 pm," said Sanjeev Ranjan, the chief electoral officer.
Over 20.8 lakh voters, including 10.1 lakh women, will decide the fate of 19 contestants, including a woman.
Bordering Bangladesh, in the left ruled Tripura, the fight is expected to be a triangular contest between the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Trinamool Congress state chairman and senior lawyer Arun Chandra Bhowmik is contesting from the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency while the party's vice-president Rita Rani Debbarma is fighting from the Tripura East seat reserved for tribals.
The CPI-M and the BJP have renominated their 2004 Lok Sabha candidates for both seats.
Sitting MPs Khagen Das and Bajuban Reang, both CPI-M central committee members who won in 2004, are again contesting from Tripura West and Tripura East seats respectively against Congress' Sudip Roy Barman, a sitting legislator, and Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, a former legislator.
Tripura BJP president Nilmani Deb is fighting from Tripura West while the party's veteran tribal leader Pulin Behari Dewan is the candidate from Tripura East.
"Over 30,000 central paramilitary troopers accompanied by state security forces have took positions across the state Wednesday to deal with separatist outfits before and during the polling," Pranay Sahay, director general of police, told reporters.
"Two defence helicopters with senior officials and paramilitary troopers are maintaining a eagle-eyed vigil on the situation," he added.
Sahay said the air surveillances would continue till Friday.
The police chief said though the tribal guerrillas had not resorted to violence in the recent past, security measures had been tightened to meet any kind of eventuality.
"More than 30 QRTs (quick reaction teams) have been ready in different parts of the state to rush anywhere to deal with any untoward incident," the police chief said.
Six central observers, 266 magistrates and 300 micro-observes have been appointed to oversee the poll process and ensure free and fair elections, said Ranjan.
About 20,000 poll officials escorted by security forces have been manning 3,008 polling stations across the state, the poll official said.
Besides sealing the India-Bangladesh international border, night curfew has been imposed along the 856 km long territory with Bangladesh, Ranjan said.
Rest of India: The second phase will witness polling being carried out in parts of 12 states across the country. The states going to polls are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
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