The stage is set for polling in 88 constituencies across 13 states in the second phase of the general election on April 26 (Friday). Over 15.88 crore voters would exercise their franchise in 1.67 lakh polling stations across the country. A total of 1,202 candidates are in the fray, including 1,098 male, 102 female and two transgender contestants. Voting in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul, which was also scheduled to be held on April 26, was shifted to the third phase on May 7 following the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Ashok Balawi.
Over 16 lakh polling officials have been deployed for the exercise involving 8.08 crore male, 7.8 crore female and 5,929 third-gender electors, the Election Commission said. A total of 34.8 lakh first-time voters and 3.28 crore voters in the age group of 20-29 years are expected to exercise their franchise. Also, over 14.78 lakh voters above 85 years of age, 42,226 voters above 100 years, and 14.7 lakh persons with disability have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes.
All 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir would go to polls. After the second phase, voting will be over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura. Polling had already been completed in Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Lakshadweep.
Some of the prominent leaders in fray include Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the BJP, and actor-turned politicians Hema Malini and Arun Govil. The general election is being held in seven phases. The first phase was held on April 19 for 102 seats across 21 States and Union Territories and saw a turnout less than that of the 2019 election. The third phase of polling for 94 seats in 12 States and Union Territories will be held on May 7.
