Millions of people in 12 Indian states voted in the country's second and biggest phase of staggered general elections Today marked by sporadic attacks by rebels and clashes between political workers, dpa reported. More than 192 million of the country's total of 714 million voters were eligible to cast their votes in the latest round of the five-stage polls, the world's largest democratic exercise. At the close of polling, India's Deputy Election Commissioner R Balakrishnan told reporters that more than 55 per cent of the eligible voters cast ballots in 140 constituencies supervised by 1 million officials. The fate of prominent leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, heir of India's powerful Gandhi dynasty, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar, and former defence minister George Fernandes were decided in Thursday's polling. Thursday's polls were considered the most crucial phase of the elections in which the main battle is between the Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance and the opposition Hindu conservative Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 76, who is credited with India's economic turnaround since the mid-1990s, is the UPA's choice for the top post again. Lal Krishna Advani, 81, a former deputy prime minister best known for divisive communal leadership and heading a campaign to build a temple on the site of a demolished mosque in northern India is the NDA candidate. Issues dominating the elections are the economic turmoil that has seen millions of job losses after five years of growth, and the security situation after terrorist attacks last year. The states where elections were being held Thursday were Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. A total of 2,041 candidates, including 121 women, ran in the second phase. Prime Minister Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, cast their votes in Assam. "The Congress in Assam will win a thumping majority and there will be a Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the centre," Manmohan Singh told reporters soon after casting his vote. At the end of the second phase, polling was be completed for 265 seats of the 545-member Lok Sabha, or House of the People, of the Indian Parliament. Elections are held for 543 seats because two members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. The third phase of India's elections is slated for April 30, followed by more polling on May 7 and May 13. Results are expected on May 16.
