LS Phase 2 Polls: BJP Bets On 2 Union Ministers To Enter Kerala, Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad Seat Up for Grabs. Top Points

Lok Sabha phase 2 polls: 88 seats are up for grab across 12 states and one Union Territory with 1,202 candidates in fray.

The second phase of Lok Sabha polls which is set to begin on Friday will be a big test for the Bharatiya Janata Party to see if it will be able to end the drought in Kerala, the southernmost state which has never sent an MP from the saffron camp. While the BJP is betting on two Union ministers in the second phase of polling from Kerala, Congress bigwigs like Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor are also in the poll fray and currently represent the Wayanad and the Thiruvananthapuram seats. 

BJP's Hema Malini (Mathura, UP), Arun Govil (Meerut, UP), Tejasvi Surya (Bangalore South, Karnataka), Om Birla (Kota, Rajasthan), Sukanta Majumdar (Balurghat, West Bengal) are also in the poll fray in the second phase.  

Seeking to better its tally after a relatively muted voter enthusiasm last week as the polls opened with the first phase, the BJP will have to not only retain its bastion but will have to make fresh inroads in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 

In the Friday polls, 88 seats are up for grabs across 12 states and one Union Territory with 15.88 crore registered voters who will seal the fate of 1,202 candidates in the electoral exercise in one of the largest democracies of the world. 

• The BJP has pitted Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar to take on against three-time sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor while Anil Antony, son of AK Antony, has been given a ticket from Pathanamthitta. 


• Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad seat in Kerala is also up for grabs in the second phase of polls while the party has nominated K Muralidharan from the Thrissur seat who will be in a direct competition against actor Suresh Gopi. 


• Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will enter the poll fray from the Rajnangaon Lok Sabha seat in the second phase of voting as a Congress candidate. 


• In Karnataka, where the Congress formed the government last year, DK Suresh will contest the polls from Bangalore Rural while M Lakshman from Mysore. 


• Congress candidate, Sowmya Reddy will be in a direct contest against BJP's Tejasvi Surya from the from Bangalore South seat. 


• In Uttar Pradesh, BJP big shots like Hema Malini and Arun Govil will contest the polls from Mathura and Meerut constituencies, respectively.