New Delhi: Two persons were killed and 11 injured in sporadic violence during final phase of Lok Sabha elections to 182 seats in 16 States and Union Territories today (May 10, 2004) even as 22 per cent of the 25.25 crore voters exercised their franchise by noon.

One Akali Dal leader was shot dead in Punjab, while one person was killed in poll-related violence in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

Elections 2004-Where is India heading...
Political Parties in India

Militants made vain attempts to disrupt polling at three booths in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency by firing and lobbing grenades injuring one person. Ten persons were injured in stray incidents of violence in Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal.

The final round decides electoral fate of 2,132 candidates prominent among them being Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) veteran Somnath Chatterjee (Bolpur), Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed (Lakshadweep), Union Ministers Jagmohan (New Delhi), B C Khanduri (Garhwal), Mamata Banerjee (Kolkata-South), Satyanarayan Jatiya (Ujjain), Sahib Singh Verma (Outer Delhi), I D Swami (Karnal) and Vijay Goel (Delhi-Sadar).

Elections are being held in Madhya Pradesh for remaining 17 of the 29 seats, Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur and Ladakh constituencies, West Bengal (42), Tamil Nadu (39), Kerala (20), Punjab (13), Haryana (10), Delhi (seven), Uttaranchal (five), Himachal Pradesh (four) and one each in Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Chandigarh, Assam and Sikkim. Simultaneously polling is on for the 32-member Sikkim Assembly.