55 percent polling in the second phase of vote in Maharashtra

PUNE: Fifty-five percent of polling in 25 constituencies was reported in Maharashtra state in the second phase of polling for the Lok Sabha at the end of polling yesterday. Polling was reported to be peaceful with minor incidents reported in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri in the Konkan belt, and Nashik in western Maharashtra.

Polling was at its peak in the morning and evening hours with the voters staying indoors in the afternoon to avoid the summer heat.

In the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri Lok Sabha constituencies, following skirmishes between Shiv Sena and Congress workers, the police issued notice to Sanjay Raut the Sena Member of Parliament and editor of party mouthpiece Saamana. He was ordered to move out of both the constituencies to avoid law and order problem. However, tension prevailed for some time as Raut refused to abide by the police order, but then relented and left.

In Nashik, people still continued to cast their votes past the 5 p.m. polling deadline, which resulted in minor skirmishes between Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) party workers. The police intervened and brought the situation under control.

In another related development, tension prevailed in Solapur when NCP workers disrupted polling process at Madha constituency. Polling was stopped for some time in the newly carved Madha constituency where NCP supremo and federal Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is contesting the Lok Sabha seat, after NCP workers were involved in two booth capturing incidents.

NCP workers were also reported to have assaulted Mahadev Jankar, a candidate of Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) in the Madha constituency. No one has been arrested so far in this case.

In Ahmednagar, Raju Rajade, an independent candidate had filed a complaint with the police that some NCP workers, had assaulted him in Parner town, but the police had taken no action against the culprits.

Polling was also halted for some time in Beed district in Marathwada region from where Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde is contesting the Lok Sabha polls, following clashes between NCP and Shiv Sena party workers. Six persons are reported to have been injured in the clashes and the police have arrested two persons in this incident.

Munde has also alleged that some NCP workers had kidnapped two of his party workers and that he would be filing a complaint with the Election Commission as the local police have taken no action to rescue the BJP workers.