Biggest phase of Indian elections gets underway

Apr 23, 2009, 2:24 GMT

New Delhi- India's monthlong staggered general election entered its second and biggest phase Thursday with an expected 200 million more voters going to the polls amid tight security arrangements to prevent attacks by Maoist insurgents.

Voters started trickling into booths in as many as 141 constituencies across 12 states from 7 am (0000 GMT) for the latest round of the five-stage elections, the world's largest democratic exercise.

At least 194.8 million of the country's total 714 million eligible voters can cast their vote in Thursday's balloting that will be supervised by 1 million officials.

The first voting phase 124 constituencies one week ago was marred by Maoist violence across India's central and eastern regions. 17 people including police, soldiers, polling officials and civilians were killed in the violence and some election officials were kidnapped.

The Maoist rebels who have given called for boycotting the polls, went on the rampage Wednesday, hijacking a train, blowing up buildings, torching vehicles and triggering landmine blasts.

Islamic militants in India-administered Kashmir have also warned people not to vote and have threatened to carry out suicide attacks to disrupt the elections.

Thousands of security personnel have been deployed to maintain peace as many of the constituencies in Thursday's balloting are located in the volatile Maoist belt of central, southern and eastern India, the restive north-east and militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir.

'We have taken adequate security measures in the Maoist-affected areas. Polls will be held in these constituencies between 7 am and 3 pm,' Deputy Election Commissioner JP Prakash told reporters in New Delhi.

The states where elections are being held Thursday are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

A total of 2,041 candidates are contesting in the second phase, including 121 women. Voting was being done through electronic voting machines and electoral rolls with photographs were being used to identify voters.

The general elections are accompanied with state-level elections in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

The third phase of India's elections is slated for April 30, followed by May 7 and May 13. The results are expected on May 16.

The main contenders in the 2009 elections are the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the opposition Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Analysts are predicting yet another hung parliament, where no single party will gain a majority, followed by formation of a coalition government.

The leader of the single largest party is usually invited to form the new government and has to prove the support of a majority of members in the Indian parliament.