New Delhi: Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections is set to occur across 88 constituencies spanning 13 states on Friday.
These include all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, 14 seats in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Manipur, Tripura, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Originally, 89 constituencies were slated for this phase, but due to the unfortunate demise of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul, polling in that area has been rescheduled for the third phase on May 7.
In the previous 2019 elections, the BJP-led NDA secured victory in 56 of these 89 seats, while the UPA claimed 24.
Notable candidates in this phase include Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Hema Malini, Arun Govil, Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.
In the analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch, Karnataka Congress leader Venkataramane Gowda emerges as the wealthiest candidate in this phase, with declared assets totaling ₹622 crore. Following him is incumbent Karnataka Congress MP DK Suresh with assets worth ₹593 crore. Hema Malini, contesting from Mathura, ranks third with assets valued at ₹278 crore.
On the other end of the spectrum, Laxman Nagorao Patil, an Independent candidate from Maharashtra’s Nanded, possesses the fewest assets at ₹500, followed by Rajeswari KR from Kasaragod, Kerala, with assets worth ₹1,000.
After the conclusion of this phase, polling will be completed in Kerala, Rajasthan, and Tripura. The first phase of voting on April 19 covered all seats in Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, and Lakshadweep.
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