Lok Sabha polls: India votes in Phase 2, battle of big guns in Kerala
KERALA,APR 26: Voting has started in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 88 seats across 13 states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens, especially the young and women voters, to vote in “record numbers”.
Several people have cast their votes, including BJP veteran and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, author and philanthropist Sudha Murty and her husband and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, actor Prakash Raj, Team India coach Rahul Dravid, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, among others.
The second phase is seeing a big battle in Kerala where many high-profile candidates are in the fray, such as Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, and Shashi Tharoor against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram. BJP leader Hema Malini is also in the run in this phase from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura.
Voting across 88 seats in 13 seats is currently underway in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls. Visuals showed people queueing up outside polling booths to cast votes. Polling is underway in all 20 constituencies in Kerala in the second phase.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family cast their votes in Kannur. Also, Congress leader and Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, who waited in queue with others, cast his vote. Speaking to news agency ANI later, Satheesan exuded confidence in the INDIA bloc winning all 20 seats in the southern state.
Congress’s Jalore pick in Rajasthan Vaibhav Gehlot said there is “enthusiasm” among the people for his party. “I am 100% confident that people are bringing a change in Jalore this time,” Vaibhav Gehlot, who is the son of ex-Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, said. Vaibhav Gehlot is contesting against BJP’s Lumbaram Chaudhary in Jalore.
A war of words erupted between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress after the ruling party claimed central forces are being to “undermine the democractic process” in Bengal. Trinamool alleged, citing multiple reports, that central forces “disturbed voters in Balurghat’s Harirampur and prevented women from voting in Raiganj’s Goalpokhar”.
-PTI
