LS Elections: Polling Ends With 70% Turnout in TN, 67.7% in K’taka

Polling was cancelled in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore constituency after a massive cash haul by the I-T department.

Polling concluded in the second phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, 18 April, with the state of Karnataka recording a voter turnout of 67.67 percent for the 14 constituencies that voted, as compared to 68.68 percent for the corresponding region in 2014.

In Tamil Nadu’s 38 parliamentary constituencies, the tentative turnout stood at 69.55 percent, as compared to 73.58 percent in 2014.

Meanwhile, the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry recorded a voter turnout of 80.5 percent, as compared to 82.1 percent in 2014, the chief electoral officer said.

Notably, these are interim figures, and the final turnout is expected to increase.

The southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were among the 11 states that cast their ballots on Thursday. Puducherry was the only Union territory that went to polls in the second phase.

Thirty eight seats in Tamil Nadu, 14 constituencies in Karnataka and the only Puducherry seat voted today.

• 66 percent overall voter turnout was recorded in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday
• The voter turnout in the 18 Assembly constituencies where bypolls were held in Tamil Nadu was 71.62 percent till 7 pm

For live updates from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and all the other states voting today, click here.

Voting in Madurai Continued Till 8 pm

Voting was extended by two hours and continued till 8 pm in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai in view of the Chithirai festival.

'Undue Official Favour': Karnataka BJP Writes to EC Over Deletion of Voters' Names

The Karnataka BJP has written to the Election Commission over alleged “mass indiscriminate deletion of voters’ names in the voters’ list”.

“The officials have purposefully and deliberately deleted names without any reason, just to render undue official favour to the ruling coalition party. [sic]”

Karnataka BJP’s letter to EC

71.62% Turnout in Tamil Nadu Assembly Bypolls

The voter turnout in the 18 Assembly constituencies where bypolls were held in Tamil Nadu was 71.62 percent till 7 pm.

66% Turnout Recorded in Second Phase of LS polls: EC

Sixty-six percent voter turnout was recorded in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said.