NEW DELHI, April 18 - Moderate to high voter turnout was recorded in the 95 constituencies in 11 States and Puducherry that went to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections which were marred by sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Manipur and EVM glitches. Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said 66 per cent turnout was recorded in the second phase.
Puducherry saw a high voter turnout of 78 per cent while in Manipur, the polling percentage was nearly 75, sources in the election office said.
Srinagar, which in 2014 witnessed the lowest voter turnout in the country at 25.86 per cent, saw 12.43 per cent polling. No untoward incident was reported during polling held amid tight security due to militant threats and a boycott call by separatists.
In Tamil Nadu, where polling was held in the maximum 38 seats, the voter turnout was 52.02 per cent at 3 pm. Polling was also held in 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, 3 each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, 2 in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry, besides 35 Assembly constituencies in Odisha.
Polling in Tamil Nadu�s Vellore Lok Sabha seat was cancelled by the Election Commission following recovery of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader.
The EC also announced postponement of polling in Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23, saying the law and order situation was not conducive for holding free and fair polls.
Isolated incidents of violence, road blockades, bombings and police firing marred polling in the three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal with 65.43 per cent of voter turnout recorded till 3 pm.
An average 57.22 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm in 10 constituencies of Maharashtra.
Around 59.72 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Chhattisgarh�s three Lok Sabha seats, all having Naxal presence, amid tight security.
According to police, except for an IED blast triggered by Maoists in Mohla-Manpur assembly segment of Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency, no other untoward incident was reported in the poll-bound areas.
About 53 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm in five Odisha Lok Sabha and 35 assembly seats, some of them in Naxal-affected areas.
Karnataka saw a turnout of 61.84 per cent till 5 pm. The five seats in Bihar saw an estimated 45.77 per cent voting till 3 pm. The Election Commission put the overall voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh at 50.39 per cent till 3 pm.
Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23. � PTI
