Dispur: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur on Thursday cast their votes here in the second phase of the general election. Authorities beefed up security at Booth number 156 located at the Dispur Government Higher Secondary School at Sarumatoria, where Dr Singh and his wife reached to cast their votes. Singh is officially a voter from Guwahati. Political bigwigs like Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, SM Krishna and RR Patil cast their votes in Bangalore and several other places of Karnataka as well as many other constituencies in Maharashtra on Thursday. In Bangalore, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Naidu and Kumar exercised their franchise with their supporters in tow.

     Speaking to mediapersons, Naidu said that he is hopeful of the BJP forming the next Central Government after the on-going general elections. "People want change of government at the Centre. They are keen that the BJP should come to power. In Karnataka, the additional factor is that people want the BJP Government in the Centre so that it could give a helping hand to the State Government," Naidu said. Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna also cast his vote in Bangalore. Krishna, who is also the former Maharashtra Governor, said that the Congress represents the youth as well as the aged. "The Congress cannot totally depend on the youth candidates. It is having youth, middle aged and senior citizens. It is a mix party. The Congress symbolises the whole India. It is the youth, the middle aged, the experienced together that form this great country," Krishna said. Meanwhile in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader R. R. Patil exercised his electoral franchise at one of the constituencies in Sangli. After exercising his vote, Patil exuded confidence of the UPA winning more than 35 seats in Maharashtra. "The situation in Maharashtra is favourable for the Congress, the NCP and the Republican Party of India (RPI). The UPA supporters should get around 35 seats or more in Maharashtra. After elections we will all know that Maharashtra will play an important role in Indian politics," Patil claimed.

      The break-up of Lok Sabha seats that underwent to the polls in the second phase on Thursday is as follows: Uttar Pradesh (17), MP (13), Maharashtra (25), Goa (2), Karnataka (17), Bihar (13), Jharkhand (8), Orissa (11), Andhra Pradesh (20), Assam (11), Tripura (2) and Jammu and Kashmir (1). The remaining phases are scheduled on April 30, May 7 and 13. The outcome of the polls will be known on May 16.
- Apr 23, 2009