Both the fury and fervour of the festival of democracy will be on full display yet again as the country gears up for phase 2 of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held on April 26 (Friday). The second episode of the seven-part mega show will see 13 states go into polls, deciding the fate of as many as 89 constituencies.
The states that will be in action on Friday are - Assam (5), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (3), Karnataka (14), Madhya Pradesh (7), Uttar Pradesh (8), West Bengal (3), Maharashtra (8), Rajasthan (13), Manipur (1), Kerala (20), Tripura (1), and Jammu and Kashmir (1).
All eyes will be on key constituencies such as Kishanganj and Katihar (Bihar); Bangalore North, South, and Central (Karnataka); Wayanad, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala); Jodhpur (Rajasthan); Amravati and Nanded (Maharashtra); Mathura, Meerut, and Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) among others.
Many heavyweight candidates including 2-time BJP MP and Bollywood actress Hema Malini (Mathura), Ramayana serial fame Arun Govil (Meerut), Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad), Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur) will be vying for victory from their respective constituencies as voters look to exercise their franchise on April 26.
The subsequent phases of the 18th Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1 respectively, with the counting to take place on June 4.
Published 23 April 2024, 14:55 IST