India elections 2024: High-decibel campaign for 2nd phase ends; Rahul Gandhi in fray

THE high-octane campaigning for the second phase of the Indian general elections 2024 concluded on Wednesday (24) evening with top leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc making a last-gasp effort to woo voters.

The end of the campaigning marks the commencement of a 48-hour silence period before the voting exercise.

The second phase on April 26 will witness polling in 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories (UTs), including the remaining part of the Outer Manipur constituency in the violence-torn north-eastern state of Manipur.

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In 2019, the NDA had won 62 of the 88 poll-bound seats while the United Progressive Alliance, predecessor to the INDIA bloc, won 23. Six of these constituencies have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.

A total of 1,206 candidates are in the fray in the second phase besides four candidates from the Outer Manipur constituency.

As per the Election Commission of India, a total of 2,633 nominations were filed for the second phase and after scrutiny, 1,428 were found to be invalid.

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The second phase saw maximum nominations (500) from the southern state of Kerala where all 20 seats will go to polls, followed by its neighbouring state of Karnataka with 491. Fourteen constituencies in Karnataka will go to voting in this phase. The least number of nominations were received in Tripura with 14. Only one seat is going to polling in the north-eastern state in this phase.

Some of the top names in fray in the second phase are Indian National Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting from Wayanad in Kerala, and Shashi Tharoor, who will face the minister of state for IT and electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram, also in Kerala.

In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh where eight constituencies will go to polls in this phase, actor-politicians Hema Malini and Arun Govil will eye win from Mathura and Meerut, respectively.

Bhupesh Baghel, former chief minister of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, will contest from Rajnandgaon constituency in the second phase.

The first phase of the election was held on April 19 when 102 constituencies went to polling in 21 states and UTs.