2nd phase polls: Violence in J'khand, peaceful in other states

New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) Brisk polling was reported
from across 12 states in the second phase of Lok Sabha (lower
House of Parliament) elections Thursday, which was by and
large peaceful barring certain incidents of violence in
naxal-infested eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.

An executive magistrate Rajendra Prasad and a
constable were wounded when Maoists lobbed a bomb at their
vehicle near Dadi-Srirampur village in Giridh district in
Jharkhand, police sources said.

They were going to their assigned polling station in
the district, about 200 kms from Ranchi, they said.

In a separate incident, security forces repulsed a
naxalite bid to disrupt polling in Bansdera in East Singhbhum,
165 kms from the Jharkhand capital, after a fierce hour-long
gunbattle with the ultras.

Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and his wife
Gursharan Kaur exercised their franchise at a polling station
in Gauhati Lok Sabha segment in Assam amid high security.

Brisk polling was reported from all the 140
constituencies spread across 12 states in the second round of
the five-phased elections which would end at 1700 hrs in most
places, except in naxal-infested areas where it would close at
1500 hrs.

While Orissa registered 12 per cent of voting in the
initial hours, Assam saw 20 per cent, Andhra Pradesh (12.43
per cent), Karnataka (10 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (8 per
cent), Jharkhand (20 per cent) and Tripura (30 per cent).

Polling staff had difficulty in reaching the booths
situated in Maoists pockets in Jharkhand, while faulty
Electonic Voting Machine (EVMs) in some places delayed the
polling exercise for a while, police sources said.

Polling in four booths under Singhbhum constituency
were cancelled after suspected naxalites burnt down four
booths at Jompai in West Singhbhum's Sonua block.

Voters of a dozen booths in Dumka, Godda and Raj Mahal
Lok Sabha seats in the state have decided not to vote in
protest against alleged non-development of their areas.

Election to Andhra Pradesh and Orissa state Assemblies
are being held simultaneously Thursday.

Over 194 million voters are eligible to exercise their
franchise today across 2 lakh polling stations set up by the
Election Commission.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place,
especially in naxal-infested states, to thwart any attempt by
the ultras to disrupt the elections.

An EVM was stolen before polling began in Cuddapah and
at Chandragiri, in Chittoor district, miscreants have
destroyed an EVM, officials said, adding that malfunctioning
of EVMs was reported at some places and they have been quickly
rectified.

Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress
leader M Veerappa Moily were among the early voters who
exercised their franchise.

Large number of voters were seen waiting outside the
polling stations in Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency in
India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Prominent among those whose fate will be decided today
are Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh,
NCP chief Sharad Pawar from Madha in Maharashtra, rebel Janata
Dal-United (JD-U) leader George Fernandes from Bihar's
Muzaffarpur, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP)Sushma Swaraj from
Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader
Ramvilas Paswan from Hajipur in Bihar.

The Andhra assembly elections will decide the fate of
Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who is contesting from
Pulivendla, his rival and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief
Chandrababu Naidu from Kuppam and actor-turned-politician
Chiranjeevi from Tirupati among others. PTI TEAM
RAI
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