In the second phase of Indian elections, 88 constituencies, including Rahul Gandhi’s contest in Kerala, were in play. Speculation suggests Rahul Gandhi may return to Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, to challenge BJP’s Smriti Irani, who narrowly defeated him in 2019. Priyanka Gandhi is rumored to be the Congress candidate from Rae Bareli after Sonia Gandhi moved to the Rajya Sabha.
There was a low voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh, below the 60% overall voting in the second phase, which is seen as unfavorable for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the BJP stronghold. Modi is facing a robust challenge from the INDIA alliance.
The election commission issued a notice to the BJP president to explain Modi’s controversial speeches. The Supreme Court rejected opposition demands to make electronic voting machines (EVMs) more transparent.
Modi demanded an apology from the opposition for creating distrust over EVMs. He thanked voters as polling concluded for 88 seats across 13 states and Union Territories, expressing confidence in NDA’s support.
The average voter turnout was 60.96% till 7pm, with the highest turnout in Tripura and the lowest in Uttar Pradesh. A third of the total Lok Sabha seats have completed polling, with 1,202 candidates in the fray. The Dalit Bhaujan Samaj Party fielded the most candidates in this phase.
