Lok Sabha Polls: EC issues notice for second phase voting; 88 constituencies, including 14 in Karnataka to go to polls

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday issued the notification for the second phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections.

Altogether 88 parliamentary constituencies in 12 states and union territories will go to polls in the second phase of voting on April 26. They include 14 of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka. Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir were the other states and UTs with constituencies going to polls in the second phase.

Besides, voting will also be conducted on the same day in 13 assembly segments of the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency. A part of the same constituency – 15 assembly segments – would go to the polls in the first phase of voting on April 19.

The EC decided to hold the polling in the Outer Manipur constituencies in two phases in view of the unrest in the northeastern state.

The commission started accepting the nominations of the candidates aspiring to contest in the 88 constituencies in the 12 states and union territories immediately after the publication of the notification in the Gazette of India early on Thursday.

It will accept nominations for the constituencies going to polls in the second phase of nationwide voting till April 4. The nominations will undergo scrutiny in 11 states and union territories on April 5 and in Jammu and Kashmir on April 6. The deadline for the withdrawal of the nominations has been set as April 8 for all the constituencies going to polls in the second phase.

The votes polled in the 88 constituencies will be counted along with the rest across the country on June 4.

The EC on March 16 announced the schedule of the seven-phase polling from April 19 to June 1 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha.