Lok Sabha election: Maharashtra sees nearly 55% voter turnout in phase 2

Lok Sabha election 2024: The voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra has registered a voter turnout of nearly 55 per cent, with no constituency touching the 60 per cent mark.

The polling in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies - Amravati, Nanded, Parbhani, Buldhana, Yavatmal Washim, Akola, Wardha, and Hingoli, began at 7 am and will conclude by 6 pm. A total of 204 candidates are in the fray in the eight seats- Buldhana (21), Akola (37), Wardha (24), Yavatmal Washim (17), Hingoli (33), Nanded (23), and Parbhani (34). Meanwhile, as many as 1.49 crore voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third gender category, are eligible to cast their ballot across 16,589 polling centres in the state.

According to the Election Commission, Wardha has recorded the highest voter turnout of 56.66 per cent till 5pm. Parbhani recorded 53.79 per cent polling even after the residents of a village in the constituency had earlier boycotted the polls to protest against the issue of encroachments.

Nanded was at 55.33 per cent, Akola at 52.49 per cent, Yavatmal Washim at 54.04 per cent, Amravati at 56 per cent, Hingoli at 52.03 per cent, and Buldhana at 54.52 per cent, the Election Commission data showed.

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Among the eight constituencies, Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). In Akola, the contest is between BJP's Anup Dhotre and Congress' Abhay Patil. Meanwhile, Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, who is now contesting as a BJP nominee, and Balwant Wankhede of Congress.

On April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha - Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur went to polls in the first phase of the Lol Sabha election. According to the Election Commission, the seats recorded a total voter turnout of 63.70 per cent.

The Lok Sabha polls are being held in a seven-phased manner. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.