Lok Sabha Elections: Voting commenced at 7 am on Friday for the second phase of the 2024 India elections, covering 88 constituencies across 12 states and a Union territory, Jammu and Kashmir. Among the notable candidates in this phase are Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor from the Congress party, contesting to retain their seats in Kerala’s Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram respectively. All 20 seats in Kerala are up for grabs in this phase.
Representing the BJP, Hema Malini aims for a third consecutive victory in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura constituency. A total of 1202 candidates are contesting in these 88 constituencies, with a staggering 158.8 million eligible voters, including 32.8 million young voters and 3.4 million first-timers exercising their democratic rights.
The polling is spread across Kerala (20 seats out of 20), Karnataka (14 out of 28), Rajasthan (13 out of 25), Uttar Pradesh (8 out of 80), Maharashtra (8 out of 48), Madhya Pradesh (6 out of 29), Assam (5 out of 14), Bihar (5 out of 40), Chhattisgarh (3 out of 11), West Bengal (3 out of 42), Manipur (1 out of 2), Tripura (1 out of 2), and Jammu (1 out of 5).
The first phase of voting, conducted last Friday, covered 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories. The subsequent phases are scheduled as follows:
– Phase 1: April 19
– Phase 2: April 26
– Phase 3: May 7
– Phase 4: May 13
– Phase 5: May 20
– Phase 6: May 25
– Phase 7: June 1
Counting for all 543 seats will take place on June 4.
