explainer
In the second phase of the world's largest election, 88 constituencies in 13 states will go to the polls on April 26.
India's mammoth parliamentary election will enter its second of seven phases on April 26, with all eyes on the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka.
Candidates in the second round include a former leader of India's main opposition party who has never won a general election, a former United Nations official and author, and a former Bollywood star who is running for the third time but has disappointed his constituency. By her not being on earth.
The general election for 543 seats in India's lower house (parliament) began on April 19th. The results of the largest democracy movement in world history are scheduled to be announced on June 4th.
With 969 million registered voters, or more than the populations of the United States, European Union, and Russia combined, India has the largest electorate in the world.
Apart from a number of regional and national hopefuls, the two main alliances are the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the National Comprehensive Alliance for Development, a coalition of 28 political parties. (INDIA). It is led by the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, and aims to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Who will vote in Phase 2?
Voters in 88 constituencies across 13 states and union territories will go to the ballot box.
- Kerala: All 20 seats in southern states
- Rajasthan: 13 out of 25 seats in Western Province
- Karnataka: 14 out of 28 seats in southern states
- Uttar Pradesh: 8 out of 80 seats in Northern Province
- Madhya Pradesh: 6 out of 29 seats in Central Region
- Assam: 5 out of 14 seats in Eastern Province
- Chhattisgarh: 3 out of 11 seats in Central Region
- Bihar: 5 seats out of 40 in Eastern Province
- Maharashtra: 8 out of 48 seats in Western Province
- West Bengal: 3 out of 42 seats in Eastern Province
- Tripura: One of two seats in Northeastern states
- Jammu and Kashmir: One of the five seats in the Union Territory
- Manipur: Part of one of the two seats in the northeastern states that went to polls in the first phase will also go to the polls on April 26.
Which are the main constituencies?
- Wayanad, Kerala: Prominent opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will face off against Communist Party of India's left-wing candidate Annie Raja in a bid to retain the constituency that elected him in 2019. Both Gandhi's Congress and the Communists are part of the national opposition party of India. Although they are an alliance, they are rivals in Kerala. Mr. Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of a former prime minister whose Nationalist Congress party suffered two crushing defeats against the Bharatiya Janata Party. BJP state president K Surendran is also a candidate. Wayanad has been a Congress stronghold since the 2009 elections. Kerala is the only major state in India that has never elected a Bharatiya Janata Party member to its parliament.
- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Shashi Tharoor, a senior parliamentarian, former minister, former UN Under-Secretary-General and author, is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term. His main opponent is Bharatiya Janata Party's information technology secretary Rajeev Chandrasekhar, whose ruling party is hoping to overcome the odds and win as it lacks numbers and evidence of widespread support. The BJP has come second after the Congress in this constituency in the last two general elections. The population of Kerala is 55% Hindu, 27% Muslim and 18% Christian. But the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has so far struggled to capture even a large portion of the Hindu vote in Kerala.
- Mandya, Karnataka: The BJP has never won the Mandya seat in southern Karnataka. Prime Minister Modi has boasted of his goal of forging an alliance to cross the 400-seat mark, but only a strong victory in southern India will make that possible. The BJP won 25 of the state's 28 seats in the 2019 general elections and also ruled at the state level from 2008 to 2013 and from 2018 to 2023. But the return to power in Karnataka was a major victory for the Congress, which had been campaigning against the government for discriminating against southern states, which receive little federal funding. Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda, also known as Star Chandru, is facing off against former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal Secular, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- Mathura, Uttar Pradesh: Bollywood actor Hema Malini, who belongs to the BJP, has won this seat since 2014 and is competing against Congress MP Mukesh Dangal, who is the party's state president. Mathura is a Bharatiya Janata Party stronghold and, like other cities in India's most populous state, is home to a mosque that Modi's party claims was built over a destroyed temple. Located in Mathura is the Shahi Idgah Mosque, built in the 17th century. While Mr Mathura is likely to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr Malini is known to be absent from the constituency and has been accused of appearing only during elections.
- Gautama Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh: Former BJP minister Mahesh Sharma has won twice from here. Bisada village in this constituency is where Muhammad Akhlaq was lynched in 2015 for allegedly stealing and slaughtering a cow. A 52-year-old Muslim ironworker was dragged from his home and bludgeoned to death because of rumors. Prime Minister Modi has recently come under fire for inciting anti-Muslim hatred by equating local communities with “infiltrators.” At an election rally in the western state of Rajasthan, the prime minister said the opposition party wanted to distribute wealth to “people who have many children”, in comments widely seen as referring to the Muslim minority. Stated.
When does voting start and end?
Voting begins at 7:00 am (01:30 GMT) and ends at 6:00 pm (12:30 GMT). Voters who were already in line by the polls deadline will be able to vote, even if it means polling places will be open longer.
Who controls the states voting in the second phase?
- The state of Kerala is ruled by a left-wing alliance led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is part of India.
- The BJP rules Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
- The BJP rules through alliances in Bihar and Maharashtra.
- Congress governs the state of Karnataka.
- The state of West Bengal is ruled by the All India Trinamool Congress Party, which is part of India.
Who won these parliamentary seats in 2019?
- In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-led coalition in Kerala, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), won 23 of the 88 seats to be polled on April 26. Currently, several parties of the UPA are participating. Indian block.
- The BJP-led NDA won 62 seats in 2019.
- In 2019, two independent candidates each won seats in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Bahujan Samaj Party won one seat in Uttar Pradesh.
- The delimitation drive that took place in Assam last year changed the organization of constituencies. In 2019, Assam had electoral districts called autonomous regions, which constituted Diphu as an assembly area, etc. Diphu will now become an electoral district in 2024, replacing an autonomous region. In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party won the autonomous region. Moreover, Dharan Udalguri, formerly known as Mangaldoi, was won by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
How many people in India have voted so far?
On April 19, 102 constituencies in 21 states voted in the first phase of the election. Voting has ended for all seats in Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
While both seats in Manipur went to polls in the first phase, Outer Manipur will go to polls for the second time in the second phase.
The third phase will be held on May 7th.