The second phase of Lok Sabha election campaigning concluded recently, paving the way for voting across 88 constituencies spanning 12 states this Friday.
Notable figures such as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, ex-Home Minister of Chhattisgarh Tamradhwaj Sahu, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh, BJP's Tejashwi Surya, Congress' KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar are among the 1206 candidates vying for victory in this phase.
On April 26, the electoral fate of these prominent contestants will be sealed in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) as the second phase of polling commences.
Rahul Gandhi
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has once again chosen Kerala's Wayanad constituency to seek election to the Lok Sabha. Holding the incumbent seat, Rahul will contend against BJP's K Surendra and CPI's Annie Raja for victory. Wayanad, one of Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats, witnessed Rahul Gandhi's commanding win in 2019, defeating CPI's PP Suneer by a substantial margin of over 430,000 votes.
Arun Govil
Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's legendary Ramayan series, is now entering the political arena by contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP has chosen Govil to replace the three-term MP, Rajendra Agrawal, who held the seat. Agrawal secured victory over BSP's Haji Yaqoob Qureshi in a closely contested election with a margin exceeding 5000 votes. In this election, Govil will contend against Samajwadi Party's Sunita Verma and BSP's Devvrat Kumar Tyagi for the seat.
Bhupesh Baghel
The Congress party has chosen Bhupesh Baghel, former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, as their candidate for the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency. Analysts predict an intense electoral contest as the Congress aims to reclaim the seat from the BJP. The BJP has maintained its hold on this constituency since 1998, with Raman Singh, former Chief Minister of the state, securing victory in 1999. Despite continuous efforts, the Congress has been unable to wrestle the seat away from the BJP. Bhupesh Baghel will go head-to-head with the BJP's Santosh Pandey, the current MP seeking his third consecutive win in Rajnandgaon.
Hema Malini
Famous actress of yesteryear and now a seasoned politician, Hema Malini has been nominated by the BJP to contest for the Mathura Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. Having served as a Member of Parliament twice and previously as a Rajya Sabha member, she has been the voice of Mathura for the BJP since 2014. As she gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, aiming to secure a third consecutive term, Hema Malini faces competition from Mukesh Dhangar of the Congress. In the 2019 elections, she secured a resounding victory over Rashtriya Lok Dal's Kunwar Narendra Singh with a margin exceeding 293,000 votes.
Vaibhav Gehlot
Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of Congress stalwart Ashok Gehlot, is set to contest from Jalore in Rajasthan this election cycle. This constituency is adjacent to Jodhpur, where he faced defeat against Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in 2019 by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. Recently, Vaibhav was summoned in a foreign exchange violation case, prompting his father to criticize the central government for what he perceives as misuse of central agencies.
Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is vying for his fourth triumph in Thiruvananthapuram. To disrupt Tharoor's winning streak and bolster its presence in the southern state, the BJP has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against the seasoned Congress leader. Tharoor claimed his initial parliamentary victory in 2009 by outmatching CPI's P Ramachandran Nair with a nearly one lakh vote lead. Despite a significant decrease in margin in 2014, he still clinched victory over BJP's O Rajagopal, who garnered close to 2,82,000 votes compared to Tharoor's approximately 297,000. In 2019, Tharoor secured his win against BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan by a margin of roughly 1,00,000 votes.
HD Kumaraswamy
The ex-Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, has been selected as the nominee from the Mandya constituency by the ruling alliance NDA. His contender will be Chandru Star from the Congress. Notably, in 2019, Sumalatha, wife of actor Ambareesh, contested independently and clinched victory. Recently, on April 5, Sumalatha joined the BJP in Bengaluru. There were reports suggesting her desire to contest from Mandya. She was not happy when JDS got the seat in the alliance's sharing agreement.
Pappu Yadav
Pappu Yadav, having merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress Party just days after the Election Commission announced the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule, is now set to contest the Purnia Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate. Despite the seat being allocated to RJD in the Mahagathbandhan's seat-sharing arrangement, Yadav is determined to vie for it. His contenders include RJD's Bima Bharti and JD(U) candidate Santosha Kumar Kushwaha. Notably, Kushwaha secured victory in 2019 by defeating Congress candidate Uday Singh with a significant margin of over 60,000 votes.
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