lok sabha: India readies for 2nd Phase of Lok Sabha elections; Here are the key battles across 88 seats

• Constituencies: The second phase covers 88 Lok Sabha constituencies, including all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and others.
• Voting Schedule: Polling will begin at 7 am and conclude at 6 pm. The election is being held in seven phases till June 1, with vote counting on June 4.

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: INDIA Bloc and Opposition Unity:

Several opposition parties have formed the INDIA bloc to field common candidates against the BJP.
Key Personalities:

• Rahul Gandhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is re-contesting from Wayanad, Kerala.
• Shashi Tharoor: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is seeking a fourth successive term from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Hema Malini: Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini is contesting from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• Bhupesh Baghel: Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is contesting from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh.

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: Previous Phase Recap:

The first phase of voting was held on April 19 across 102 constituencies. The voter turnout was over 62 per cent.
Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: States and Seats in Phase 2:

• Assam: 5 seats – Karimganj, Silchar, Mangaldoi, Nawgong, Kaliabor
• Bihar: 5 seats – Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Banka
• Chhattisgarh: 3 seats – Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker
• Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu
• Karnataka: 14 seats – Various constituencies
• Kerala: All 20 seats
• Madhya Pradesh: 6 seats – Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Betul
• Maharashtra: 8 seats – Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani
• Manipur: Outer Manipur
• Rajasthan: 13 seats – Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota, Jhalawar-Baran
• Tripura: Tripura East
• Uttar Pradesh: 8 seats – Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr
• West Bengal: 3 seats – Darjeeling, Raiganj, Balurghat

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: Voter Eligibility

An estimated 16 crore voters, including 8.08 crore male, 7.8 crore female voters, and 5,929 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase.

Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: Key Candidates in Phase 2

• Kerala: Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad), Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), Hema Malini (Mathura), Bhupesh Baghel (Rajnandgaon)
• Karnataka: HD Kumaraswamy (Mandya), Yaduveer Wadiyar (Mysuru), DK Suresh (Bengaluru Rural), Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South)
• Assam: Pradyut Bordoloi (Nagaon), Dilip Saikia (Darrang-Udalguri), Kripanath Mallah (Karimganj), Parimal Suklabaidya (Silchar)
• Bihar: Santosh Kushwaha (Purnia), Mohammed Jawed (Kishanganj), Ajay Kumar Mandal (Bhagalpur), Giridhari Yadav (Banka)
• Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel (Rajnandgaon), Tamradhwaj Sahu (Mahasamund), Bhojraj Nag (Kanker)
• Madhya Pradesh: Virendra Kumar Khatik (Tikamgarh), RB Prajapati (Khajuraho), Tarbar Singh Lodhi (Damoh)
• Maharashtra: Prataprao Chikhalikar Govindrao (Nanded), Ashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao (Hingoli), Sanjay alias Bandu Jadhav (Parbhani)

The second phase of the Lok Sabha elections is poised to be a significant chapter in India’s democratic process, with key battles and prominent leaders vying for the mandate of the people.