Tamsil Shahezad Khan - Correspondent BBC
Buldhana - The second phase of the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra for eight constituencies concluded smoothly on Friday, with a voter turnout averaging 53.71% by 6 PM, according to Election Commission data. The constituencies, spanning the Western Vidarbha area and the Marathwada region, witnessed active participation from voters.
In Nanded’s Ramtirth village, an incident occurred where a youngster vandalized the EVM and VVPAT machine with an axe. The police intervened and later detained the individual.
The constituencies where polling occurred include five in the Western Vidarbha area — Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, and Yavatmal-Washim — and three in the drought-prone Marathwada region — Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. Maharashtra, a state sending 48 MPs to the Lower House, saw significant voter engagement, with Wardha recording the highest turnout at 56.66%, followed closely by Amravati at 55.12%, and Yavatmal-Washim at 54.04%.
A total of over 1.49 crore voters, including men, women, and individuals from the third-gender category, were eligible to cast their votes in this phase.
Notable contests included Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B. R. Ambedkar, leading the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) in Akola, and his brother Anandraj Ambedkar contesting from Amravati as a Republican Sena candidate. In Amravati, Navneet Kaur Rana's candidacy on a BJP ticket stirred local politics, leading to a three-cornered contest.
Other significant contests included Buldhana, where the incumbent MP from Sena (Shinde), Prataprao Jadhav, faced off against Narendra Khedekar from the Sena (UBT), and Nanded, featuring a contest between BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar and Congress nominee Vasant Chavan.
Overall, the second phase of elections in Maharashtra saw active participation and various political dynamics at play across constituencies.