Maharashtra: 50 to 55 pc polling in Phase 2

50 to 55 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls in 25 constituencies of Maharashtra on Thursday. "Between 50 and 55 per cent polling was reported in the state," state chief electoral officer Debashish Chakravarty told PTI over phone.

The polling, which began early on Thursday amid tight security was by and large peaceful, except for stray incidents at a few polling booths, he said.

Prominent candidates who exercised their franchise on Thursday include Union Ministers Sharad Pawar (Madha), Sushilkumar Shinde (Solapur), A R Antulay (Raigad) and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde (Beed).

Over 3.77 crore voters in north and western Maharashtra, Konkan and Marathwada regions were eligible to vote in the second round.

As many as 43,577 polling booths were set up in these constituencies. There are 377 candidates, including 20 women.

Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar (Baramati), Nilesh Rane, son of State Industries Minister Narayan Rane (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal (Nashik), and Prateek Patil, grandson of former chief minister late Vasantdada Patil (Sangli) are some of the high-profile candidates in fray.