Campaigning ended on Tuesday evening for the second phase of the 17th Lok Sabha election in 97 constituencies, spread over 12 States and a Union Territory that will vote on Thursday. Counting of votes will take place on May 23, after all seven phases of voting are completed.
In the second phase, all 39 constituencies of Tamil Nadu, 14 in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, 3 each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Manipur, Tripura and Puducherry will be voting.
Decisive victories in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are critical to the Congress-led alliance’s chances of unseating Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Karnataka is the only south Indian State where the BJP has a significant presence, and the party had won 17 of its 28 seats in 2014.
As campaigning continues in other regions that vote on later dates, there is no real break in the political combat that is increasingly bitter.
EC restrictions
The Election Commission restrictions on campaigning by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP leader Mayawati, SP leader Azam Khan and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi came into effect from Tuesday. All are charged with violating the model code of conduct.
Several cases of violations of the code continue to emerge even as campaigning gains momentum for the third phase in 115 constituencies across 12 States and two Union Territories on April 23.
Mr. Modi’s speeches continue to focus on national security and nationalism while the Congress has tried to build momentum around its manifesto promise of minimum income guarantee.
