India recorded nearly 66% voter turnout by 9 pm in the second phase of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Even as the voters lined up at polling booths through the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress kept their attacks up on each-other and expressed confidence in their performance.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to train his guns at Congress on the issues of wealth redistribution and inheritance tax, Union Home Minister Amit Shah swore that the party’s government will never end the reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs as some in the opposition have claimed. On its part, the Congress party exuded confidence and said the party would improve its tally in states like Kerala and Rajasthan.
As of 9 pm, the northeast states of Tripura and Manipur recorded the highest voter turnout of 79.16% and 77.18% respectively, according to the figures from the Election Commission of India (ECI) carried by The Times of India.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the lowest turnout at 54.85%, followed by Bihar at 55.08% and Maharashtra at 56.32%.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Modi said that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has got “unparalleled support” from the voters.
Speaking at a rally on Bihar’s Munger, Modi said the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the INDIA bloc’s principal party in Bihar, will loot the people “shoulder-to-shoulder” and will redistribute their wealth to their “special vote bank”.
“Through the Inheritance Tax, Congress and RJD will loot your wealth and distribute it to their special vote bank. The whole country is worried. Every youth and old parent is worried. The country is saying, ‘Congress ki loot, Zindagi ke sath bhi, Zindagi ke baad bhi’…They will loot even after death. RJD is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the Congress in this scheme,” said Modi.
On its part, the Congress party exuded confidence. Party leader Pawan Khera said Rahul Gandhi will score a record-breaking victory in Wayanad in Kerala and the party will win in double-digits in Rajasthan.
2024 Lok Sabha elections phase 2 fast facts
Polling was held in 88 Lok Sabha constituencies in 13 states and union territories (UTs) in the second phase of the 2024 general elections.
In the Friday’s elections, a total of 1,202 candidates were contesting, according to The Indian Express.
India is going through seven-phase general elections in which Modi is seeking a third term and the opposition under the banner of the INDIA coalition is seeking to oust him. While the first phase of voting was on April 19, the next phase will be on May 7. The final phase will be held on June 1 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4. The results are expected the same day.
Of the seats that went to polls, the NDA won 65 in the 2019 general elections and INDIA bloc won 23, according to India Today.
Poll violations reported in Karnataka, small incidents in Bengal
While the second phase of 2024 Lok Sabha elections passed peacefully, election-related complaints were raised through the day and a string of small incidents were reported in West Bengal.
In Karnataka, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, the sitting MP from Bengaluru South seat, was booked for allegedly soliciting votes on the grounds of religion through a video on X (formerly Twitter), said the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka.
The BJP also lodged five complaints against the BJP in Karnataka. It filed a complaint against CM Siddaramaiah for talking to party workers inside a polling booth in Mysuru. The party also filed complaints against Venkatesh, a former councilor, for allegedly distributing cash to voters in Kolar Seat. The BJP further filed a complaint against Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV for holding a protest in Mysuru allegedly in violation of the model code of conduct.
In West Bengal, the Election Commission received around 290 complaints, mostly related to the alleged malfunctioning of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the state, according to India Today. The report said that the Trinamool Congress, the state’s ruling party, sought EC’s immediate intervention in the matter Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the courts have repeatedly said there is nothing wrong with the EVMs and yet questions keep getting thrown at the machines.
Elsewhere in Bengal, in Balurghat, ‘go back’ slogans were raised at West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and police had to rush to control the situation, said the report.
In Balurghat and Raiganj, the BJP and the TMC traded barbs over purported attempts of influencing voters. The TMC claimed that the central security personnel were stopping women voters whereas the BJP alleged that the TMC was distributing money among the voters.
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