Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2: 61% Turnout by 5 pm as 88 Seats Vote Today

The Lok Sabha Election Phase 2 is a crucial point in the election process, with the most crucial states being Karnataka and Kerala. The polling for Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura is already over, with an average turnout of 60.7 per cent recorded until 5 pm.

Originally, 89 constituencies were expected to vote in this phase. However, polling in Betul, Madhya Pradesh was rescheduled after the unfortunate death of a candidate from Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party.

Betul will now vote in the third phase, scheduled for May 7. Several key candidates were in the spotlight for this round, including the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Bhupesh Baghel, and Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot.

Additionally, BJP’s Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Congress’s Shashi Tharoor, actors Hema Malini and Arun Govil, senior BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were also highlighted. For both BJP and the Opposition, the most crucial states in this phase were Karnataka and Kerala.

In 2019, BJP won 25 of Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress clinched a win in the last assembly election. The party is hoping to perform well amid concerns about delimitation and potential disadvantages for southern states.

In Kerala, the BJP is aiming to break into the bipolar politics, hoping to open its account in the state. Kerala is a big shining hope for the Opposition, and victory in this state would add to the tally of the Opposition bloc.

It is noteworthy that Kerala is one of the few states that have never sent a BJP member to parliament. With the northern, western, and northeastern parts of India already saturated, the BJP is hoping to expand its influence in the south and east.

The ongoing election is being held amid a heated face-off between the Congress and the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment about the Congress has sparked a controversy, with the Congress questioning the BJP’s stance on important issues.

The next phase of the election is scheduled for May 7, with the counting of votes to be held on June 4.