The Lok Sabha elections campaign for all 20 seats in Kerala and the first phase for 14 seats in Karnataka will conclude on Wednesday evening at 6 PM. Following this, attention will shift to the voting in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls scheduled for April 26, encompassing as many as 89 constituencies spread across 13 states.
Kerala Lok Sabha Election
In Kerala, the contest is a three-cornered battle between Left Democratic Front (LDF), an alliance of left-wing political parties, United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP. While the contest is majorly between LDF and UDF, BJP is attempting to make inroads into the traditional vote bank in the state.
The state is also set to witness senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi competing against CPI's Annie Raja in Wayanad constituency. Within the last month, PM Modi visited the state multiple times to gain support for BJP.
Karnataka Lok Sabha Election
In Karnataka, a total of 247 candidates, comprising 226 men and 21 women, are competing in the polls. The contest primarily involves between the ruling Congress and the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition in the state.
The Congress has candidates in all 14 seats, while the BJP has nominees in 11, and its ally JD(S) in three—Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar. Additionally, the areas where elections will occur on Friday include Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, and Chikkballapur.
During the extensive campaigning over the past month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah conducted rallies and roadshows for the BJP. The BJP President J P Nadda, along with some Union Ministers and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, also contributed to the campaign efforts.
Congress President M. Mallikarjun Kharge, along with senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy were prominent figures spearheading the party's efforts.
Meanwhile, for the JD(S), the campaign was led by the 90-year-old party patriarch and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, along with former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.
