New Delhi: As 88 Lok Sabha seats across 12 states and 1 Union Territory head to the polls on Friday, all eyes are on a slew of senior BJP and Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor from the Congress, as well as Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Choudhary, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who are contesting in what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested battle, particularly in BJP strongholds.

With the first phase polls already done and dusted in 102 seats on April 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has intensified his attack on the Congress, alleging its intentions to extend nationwide reservation to Muslims within the quotas designated for Other Backward Classes.

Kerala, much like Tamil Nadu in the first phase, presents a crucial test for the BJP's ambitious expansion plans. Meanwhile, Maharashtra and, to a lesser extent, Karnataka are being watched keenly due to the emergence of new political dynamics since 2019.

Former BJP ally Uddhav Thackeray now leads the I.N.D.I.A bloc in Maharashtra, while the Shiv Sena, once under his leadership, is now allied with the BJP under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Additionally, the Nationalist Congress Party, a significant regional player, has split, with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's faction aligning with the BJP.

In Karnataka, where the Congress is currently in power, its former ally JD(S) has switched camps to join the BJP. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance holds sway in 27 of the state's 28 seats, with the I.N.D.I.A bloc hoping to make inroads with its welfare initiatives.

In Kerala, where the BJP has never secured a seat, the party is banking on candidates like actor Suresh Gopi, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, to make electoral gains. Chandrasekhar has been pitted against three-time Congress MP Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram, while Rahul Gandhi seeks re-election from Wayanad, his current Lok Sabha constituency.

Lok Sabha Elections Phase 2: Details

State/ UT

Constituencies

Assam

Kaliabor, Karimganj, Mangaldoi, Nawgong, and Silchar

Bihar

Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj, and Purnia

Chhattisgarh

Kanker, Mahasamund, and Rajnandgaon

Karnataka

Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore South, Chamarajanagar, Chikballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, and Udupi-Chikmagalur

Kerala

Alappuzha, Alathur, Attingal, Chalakudy, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Mavelikkara, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Ponnani, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Vadakara, and Wayanad

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu

Madhya Pradesh

Akola, Amravati (SC), Buldhana, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Wardha, and Yavatmal-Washim

Maharashtra

Akola, Amravati, Bhagalpur, Buldhana, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Yavatmal-Washim

Manipur

Outer Manipur (13 assembly segments)

Rajasthan

Ajmer, Banswara, Barmer, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jalore, Jhalawar-Baran, Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, Rajsamand, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur

Tripura

Tripura East

Uttar Pradesh

Aligarh, Amroha, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Meerut

West Bengal

Darjeeling, Raiganj, Balurghat

 

 

Lok Sabha Polls Phase-2: Key Constituencies

The Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2 polls will see crucial battles among heavyweight candidates. Among the key candidates in the fray are:

Congress Candidate

Constituency

Rahul Gandhi

Wayanad

Shashi Tharoor

Thiruvananthapuram

Pradyut Bordoloi

Nowgong

Bhupesh Baghel

Rajnandangaon

DK Suresh

Bangalore Rural

M Lakshman

Mysore

K Muraleedharan

Thrissur

Vaibhav Gehlot

Jalore

Sowmya Reddy

Bangalore South

Vasantrao Chavan

Nanded

 

BJP Candidate

Constituency

Hema Malini

Mathura

Arun Govil

Meerut

Atul Garg

Ghaziabad

Parimal Suklabaidya

Silchar

Suresh Bora

Nowgong

Shobha Karandlaje

Bangalore North

PC Mohan

Bangalore Central

Tejasvi Surya

Bangalore South

Yaduveer Wadiyar

Mysore

K Surendran

Wayanad

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Thiruvananthapuram

Anil Antony

Pathanamthitta

Raju Bista

Darjeeling

Sukanta Majumdar

Balurghat

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Jodhpur

Om Birla

Kota

Navneet Rana

Amravati