New Delhi:

“To vote, or not to vote” was a question for Ms Kalavathi, a 78-year-old woman in Bengaluru who was hospitalised after her blood oxygen level dropped earlier this week. She was rushed to a hospital in Jayanagar on Tuesday with symptoms of cough and breathlessness, days before her constituency was scheduled to vote in the second phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Ms Kalavathi, however, surprised everyone on Friday when she was taken to the poll booth on a stretcher to exercise her franchise.

According to doctors, her oxygen saturation level was at 80%, which is usually 95% or higher, when she was admitted to the hospital. Upon assessment, she was diagnosed with pneumonia.

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Aravinda GM, the doctor at the Manipal Hospital in Jayanagar, began her treatment and gave her antibiotics along with oxygen therapy, inhalation, antiviral medications, and supportive care.

As her health condition gradually improved and she was shifted to the recovery room, Mr Kalavathi expressed her wish to cast her vote.

She was delighted when the medical team came forward to support her decision to participate in the democratic process.

Assisted by the nursing team, she was then taken to the Jayanagar constituency to cast her vote on a stretcher.

Voting is currently underway across 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka. The polling began at 7 am and an estimated 22.34 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am in the southern state.

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Out of 14 segments that are going to polls, the highest turnout of 30.98 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 29.03 per cent, and the least 19.21 per cent in Bangalore Central.

The turnout was 19.81 per cent in Bangalore South and 19.78 per cent in Bangalore North.

Voting for 88 constituencies in the second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections will be held across 13 states and union territories today. Over 1,200 candidates, including 4 candidates from Outer Manipur, will contest the polls.

All 20 seats in Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 7 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls tomorrow.

The prominent contestants in the fray for the second phase are Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Hema Malini and Arun Govil, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.

In 2019, the NDA had won 56 of the 89 seats and the UPA 24. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.

Out of the seven stages, the first phase of the elections were held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories. The polls saw a voter turnout of around 65.5%.

Here are the LIVE updates on Phase 2:

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Lok Sabha Polls 2024: 15.88 Crore People To Vote For 1,202 Candidates

Phase 2: 2.8 Crore Voters To Decide Fate Of 152 Candidates In 13 Rajasthan Seats

Around 2.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 152 candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections which will be held on 13 seats in Rajasthan on Friday, said Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta on Thursday.

He said that all preparations have been done for the second phase of the elections.

Around 28,758 polling booths have been made in the state. Over 1.72 lakh employees are on duty for the smooth conduct of the elections, he said adding that over 82,000 employees from Rajasthan police, home guard, RAC and CAPF have been deputed at different locations to conduct elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.