2019 Lok Sabha elections: Maharashtra sees 62.47% turnout in phase two

More than 60% voters on Thursday stepped out to cast their votes for 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which will decide the future of 179 candidates. With the conclusion of the second phase, voters from 17 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra have exercised their right to franchise so far.

Till 5pm, Nanded and Hingoli constituencies saw 62.97% and 63.08% turnout, respectively. Prominent candidates in the fray include former chief ministers Ashok Chavan (Nanded) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Solapur), senior Sena leader Anandrao Adsul (Amravati), BJP’s Pritam Munde (Beed) and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar (Solapur).

The polling at 20,716 polling booths was conducted peacefully, with no violence, except for a minor incident of stone pelting in Parbhani district. The turnout at Parbhani was 62.47%, Beed 64.37%, Latur 62.02%, Buldhana 62%, Osmanabad 62.75%, Amravati 63.08%, Akola 61.76% and Solapur (59.97%).

In Parbhani, some people threw stones on police personnel for forcing people to shut down shops located in 100-m of a polling booth at Manwat tehsil of the district. “Flying squads of the state poll body seized unaccounted cash worth over ₹42 crore, liquor worth over ₹21 crore and drugs worth ₹6 crore during raids at various places across the state,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the Congress has alleged malfunctioning of EVMs at Solapur, Nanded, and Hingoli. “We have filed more than 33 complaints of EVM malfunctioning, insufficient lights at polling booths to the election commission,” said Vijay Pande, legal cell of the state Congress unit.

Sujat Ambedkar, son of Prakash Ambedkar, chief of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), alleged EVM hacking in Solapur, from where his father is contesting. “People were facing issues with EVM at 14 places in urban areas and more than 22 places in rural areas of Solapur. VBA has got the fourth position on the EVM. At some places, the button was not working, while at some places, the vote for VBA goes into BJP’s account,” he told to reporters.

Prakash Ambedkar is contesting the polls from Akola and Solapur constituencies. VBA is a front of small parties, including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

In Akola, chaos prevailed for a while at a polling booth in Kawtha village, after a schoolteacher damaged an EVM. However, the machine was replaced soon. The police have arrested the accused, who was later identified as Shrikrishna Ghyare. Police informed that he damaged the machine to protest against the system.

First Published: Apr 19, 2019 01:09 IST