The Hindu : Front Page : 55-60% turnout in phase two

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

55-60% turnout in phase two

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, APRIL 26. Sporadic incidents of group clashes, booth capturing and damaging of electronic voting machines (EVMs) marked the second phase of polls held in 136 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 11 States. An estimated 55 to 60 per cent of the 172 million voters exercised their franchise.

Polls were also held for the Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa Assemblies.

The Deputy Election Commissioner, A.N. Jha, told presspersons here that the polling was by and large peaceful, barring some incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Jha said Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest voter turnout of 68 to 70 per cent and the Srinagar-Badgam constituency in Jammu and Kashmir the lowest at 21 per cent. Poll-related violence claimed six lives — two each in Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand and one each in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He gave the voter turnout (in per cent) in other States — Assam 65-70, Bihar 55-60, Goa 55, Karnataka 55-60, Maharashtra 55, Orissa 65, Uttar Pradesh 45-50, Jharkhand 55 and Manipur 55.

The figures were tentative and the actual figures would be higher; this would be known only tomorrow.

Mr. Jha said that repolling, wherever necessary, would be held on April 28. A decision on the number of such booths would be taken tomorrow on the receipt of reports from the observers and the election officers.

Mr. Jha said repolling was likely to be held in 62 to 65 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh and some places in Karnataka, Manipur and Orissa. Reports for repolling in 15 booths had come from Uttar Pradesh and the Commission was awaiting information from Bihar and Jharkhand.

To a question, he said there was no specific complaint from Rae Bareli, from where the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, is contesting.

On the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for repolling in an entire Assembly segment of Chhapra constituency in Bihar, where the Rashtriya Janata Dal president, Laloo Prasad Yadav, is contesting against the Civil Aviation Minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, he said the Commission was awaiting a report from the Returning Officer.

In Andhra Pradesh, two persons were killed and several injured in clashes between party workers. In Bihar, one person was killed in Chhapra and there were minor incidents in different places. In Jharkhand, there was a mine blast in the Dumka constituency and in Lohardaga, an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a teacher were killed in extremist violence. In Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, one person was killed outside a polling station.

Mr. Jha said a Magistrate was arrested in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, for influencing voters. There were clashes in the constituency between the supporters of two rival candidates. In Jammu and Kashmir, there were only minor incidents. There were by and large no major incidents in Orissa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam and Goa, but there was some trouble in Bishnupur district, part of the inner Manipur constituency.

The Deputy Election Commissioner said there were complaints of several names missing from the electoral rolls in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai. Describing the development as unfortunate, he said the Commission would probe the matter. "This is a lesson for us that even in big cities names are missing from the electoral rolls."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

55-60% turnout in phase two

Exit polls point to hung Lok Sabha

Welcome rituals and money matters

Fighting in Fallujah