Voting has started in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 88 seats across 13 states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens, especially the young and women voters, to vote in “record numbers”. Several people have cast their votes, including BJP veteran and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, author and philanthropist Sudha Murty and her husband and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, actor Prakash Raj, Team India coach Rahul Dravid, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, among others.
The second phase is seeing a big battle in Kerala where many high-profile candidates are in the fray, such as Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, and Shashi Tharoor against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram. BJP leader Hema Malini is also in the run in this phase from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura.
Phase 2 Lok Sabha Elections: Latest Developments
Voting across 88 seats in 13 seats is currently underway in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls. Visuals showed people queueing up outside polling booths to cast votes. Polling is underway in all 20 constituencies in Kerala in the second phase.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family cast their votes in Kannur. Also, Congress leader and Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, who waited in queue with others, cast his vote. Speaking to news agency ANI later, Satheesan exuded confidence in the INDIA bloc winning all 20 seats in the southern state.
Congress’s Jalore pick in Rajasthan Vaibhav Gehlot said there is “enthusiasm” among the people for his party. “I am 100% confident that people are bringing a change in Jalore this time,” Vaibhav Gehlot, who is the son of ex-Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, said. Vaibhav Gehlot is contesting against BJP’s Lumbaram Chaudhary in Jalore.
A war of words erupted between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress after the ruling party claimed central forces are being to “undermine the democractic process” in Bengal. Trinamool alleged, citing multiple reports, that central forces “disturbed voters in Balurghat’s Harirampur and prevented women from voting in Raiganj’s Goalpokhar”.
The BJP, however, hit back, with its Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar claiming the Trinamool is “trying to influence the poll process” and distributing money among voters.
West Bengal is seeing polling in a high-profile Darjeeling seat, Balurghat and Raiganj going to polls. The polls will decide the fate of state BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who is seeking re-election from the Balurghat seat.
All eyes are on Kerala’s Wayanad, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is eyeing a second term. He is up against CPI’s Annie Raja and BJP Kerala chief K Surendran. In the 2019 polls, Gandhi won the seat by over seven lakh votes though he lost from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, his family stronghold.
Another high-stakes battle in Kerala is between senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram. Tharoor will be hoping to retain the seat for the fourth time.
In Uttar Prdaesh, Hema Malini will seek a hat-trick from Mathura, while Meerut will see BJP’s Arun Govil, famous for portraying Lord Ram’s character in Ramayan TV series, making his electoral debut.
Furthermore, voting is being held in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. All schools, colleges, factories and industries are shut today in these regions due to the polls. BJP’s Ghaziabad candidate Atul Garg cast his vote and urged all voters to exercise their democratic right to bring about a responsible and good government.
There are a total of 1,210 candidates in the fray in this phase. The BSP has fielded the most candidates in this phase at 74, followed by the BJP at 69 and the Congress at 68.