EXPLAINER
In 13 states, 88 constituencies will go to the polls on April 26 in the second phase of the world’s largest election.
India’s mammoth general election juggernaut enters the second of seven phases on April 26, with all eyes on the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka.
Contenders in the second round include a former leader of India’s main opposition who has never won a general election for his party, a former top United Nations official and author, and a former Bollywood star who is running for the third time but his The electorate was disappointed by her absence on the ground.
Parliamentary elections began in India on April 19 for 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. The results of the world’s largest ever democratic exercise are due to be announced on June 4th.
With 969 million registered voters – more than the populations of the United States, the European Union and Russia combined – India has the largest electorate in the world.
Apart from numerous regional and national candidates, the two main alliances are the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a coalition of 28 parties called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Led by the main opposition Indian National Congress, determined to topple the BJP.
Who will vote in Phase 2?
Voters from these 88 constituencies across 13 states and union territories go to the polls:
- Kerala: All 20 seats in the southern state
- Rajasthan: 13 of the western state’s 25 seats
- Karnataka: 14 of the southern state’s 28 seats
- Uttar Pradesh: Eight of the northern state’s 80 seats
- Madhya Pradesh: Six of the 29 central state seats
- Assam: Five of the eastern state’s 14 seats
- Chhattisgarh: Three of the eleven central state seats
- Bihar: Five of the eastern state’s 40 seats
- Maharashtra: Eight of the western state’s 48 seats
- West Bengal: Three of the eastern state’s 42 seats
- Tripura: One of the two seats in the northeastern state
- Jammu and Kashmir: One of the five seats of the Union Territory
- Manipur: Parts of one of the two seats in the northeastern state that voted in the first phase will also vote on April 26.
What are some of the key constituencies?
- Wayanad, Kerala: Prominent opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will face left-wing candidate Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India as he fights to retain the constituency that elected him in 2019. Both Gandhi’s Congress and the Communists are part of the national opposition INDIA alliance, but are rivals in Kerala. Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, but his Congress party suffered two landslide defeats at the hands of the BJP. BJP state president K. Surendran is also running. Wayanad has been a Congress stronghold since the 2009 elections. Kerala is the only major Indian state that has never elected a BJP representative to parliament.
- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Shashi Tharoor – a senior Congress member, former minister, former UN under-secretary general and author – is seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive term. His main opponent is the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a junior information technology minister. The ruling party is hoping for a victory against all odds because it has neither numbers nor proven widespread support. The BJP came second to the Congress in this constituency in the last two assembly elections. Kerala’s population is 55 percent Hindu, 27 percent Muslim and 18 percent Christian. But the Hindu nationalist BJP has so far struggled to win the majority of Hindu votes in Kerala.
- Mandya, Karnataka: The BJP has never won the Mandya seat in southern Karnataka. While Modi has boasted of the goal of crossing the 400-seat mark this time on the back of his alliance, only strong victories in southern India can make this 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 Congress, back in power in Karnataka, is hoping for a big win in one seat as it has campaigned against the government, claiming it discriminates against southern states, which receive little funding from the federal government. Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda – also known as Star Chandru – is taking on former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal Secular, a BJP ally.
- Mathura, Uttar Pradesh: Bollywood actress Hema Malini of the BJP has won this seat since 2014. She will face Congress MP Mukesh Dhangar, the state president of the party. Mathura is a BJP stronghold and, among other cities in India’s most populous state, is home to mosques that Modi’s party says were built on demolished temples. In Mathura it is the Shahi Idgah Mosque from the 17th century. Mathura may vote for the BJP, but Malini is more known for her absence from the constituency, where she is accused of turning up only at election time.
- Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh: Former minister Mahesh Sharma of the BJP has won twice from here. In Bisahda village in this constituency, Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched in 2015 on suspicion of stealing and slaughtering a cow. The 52-year-old Muslim ironsmith was dragged from his house and beaten to death because of the rumor. More recently, Prime Minister Modi has been criticized for stoking anti-Muslim hatred by equating the community with “infiltrators”. At an election rally in the western state of Rajasthan, the prime minister said the opposition wanted to distribute wealth to “those who have many children,” in comments widely seen as a reference to the Muslim minority.
When does voting begin and end?
Voting begins at 7 a.m. (01:30 GMT) and ends at 6 p.m. (12:30 GMT). Voters who are already in line when polls close will be able to vote, even if that means polls have to stay open longer.
Who governs the states that vote in the second phase?
- 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.
- The Congress rules Karnataka.
- West Bengal is ruled by the All India Trinamool Congress Party, which is part of India.
Who won these Lok Sabha seats in 2019?
- In the last Lok Sabha election, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance won 23 of the 88 seats in Kerala, which will be voted on on April 26. Several parties of the UPA are now part of the INDIA bloc.
- The BJP-led NDA won 62 seats in 2019.
- Two independent candidates won seats in Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively in 2019. The Bahujan Samaj Party took one seat in Uttar Pradesh.
- A delimitation exercise in Assam last year changed the organization of constituencies. In 2019, there was a constituency in Assam called Autonomous District which included Diphu as an assembly segment. Diphu has now replaced the Autonomous District as a constituency in 2024. The BJP won the Autonomous District in 2019. Furthermore, Darrang-Udalguri was previously called Mangaldoi, which the BJP won.
How many people in India have voted so far?
On April 19, 102 constituencies in 21 states voted in the first phase of elections. Voting has been completed for all seats in Tamil Nadu as well as Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
While both seats in Manipur were voted on in phase one, Outer Manipur is going to the polls for the second time in phase two.
The third phase will take place on May 7th.