New Delhi: The curtains closed on Wednesday evening, marking the end of intense campaigning for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections across 89 seats spanning 13 states on April 26. The first phase of the seven-stage elections in 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories, witnessed a voter turnout of approximately 65.5 percent.
Polling in second phase will take place in all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 out of 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 7 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Key contenders include Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Thiruvananthapuram), BJP's Tejasvi Surya (Karnataka), Hema Malini and Arun Govil (Uttar Pradesh), Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad) and Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), as well as Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh, and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh will see polling in three Lok Sabha seats - Rajanandgaon, where former CM Bhupesh Baghel of Congress is competing, Kanker (ST), and Mahasamund.
The campaigning for the second phase by the saffron party featured rallies by prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. The Congress, on the other hand, saw its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading the charge.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan has 152 candidates in the fray in this phase, including two Union ministers, the BJP state president, and a former Assembly Speaker. Additionally, bypolls are scheduled for the Bagidora Assembly seat, vacated after sitting Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya joined the BJP.
The Banswara Lok Sabha seat will see Malviya contesting as the BJP candidate.
Other than Banswara, Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh and Kota-Bundi are the hot seats in this phase. The other constituencies are Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.
West Bengal
In West Bengal, Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Balurghat Lok Sabha constituencies are up for polls in this phase.
Balurghat is in for a heavyweight battle between the BJP's West Bengal president and sitting MP Sukanta Majumdar and state minister Biplab Mitra.
Out of the 47 candidates contesting the election in the second phase, three are women.
A total of 14 candidates, including sitting MP Raju Bista, are contesting from Darjeeling seat. The TMC has fielded former bureaucrat Gopal Lama while the Congress nominated Munish Tamang.
Kerala
Kerala witnessed a spirited campaigning marked by the presence of various key leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah, AICC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi.
A total of 194 candidates are vying for 20 seats in the southern state, with a crucial battle for the CPI (M)-led ruling LDF, the Congress-headed UDF and the BJP-led NDA.
Karnataka
Karnataka is set for a direct electoral contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) combine. The state will see polling in 14 seats, with the Congress in all 14, BJP in 11, and its ally JD(S) in three - Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar.
Following this phase, polling will conclude in Kerala, Rajasthan, and Tripura. In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
The third phase of polling for 94 seats across 12 states and Union territories is slated for May 7.