Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Updates | Lok Sabha Polls: Rahul Gandhi, Hema Malini, Shashi Tharoor In Fray For Phase 2 Voting

Lok Sabha Polls: Fate Of Over 1,200 Candidates To Be Decided In Phase 2 Elections

As many as 1,202 candidates, including prominent faces such as Rahul Gandhi, Om Birla and Hema Malini, will try their electoral luck in phase two of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Polling is scheduled from 7 am in 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union territories in this phase.

The remaining five phases of the polls will continue till June 1, with counting of votes scheduled on June 4. More than 16 lakh polling officials have been deployed across 1.67 lakh polling stations for over 15.88 crore voters, the Election Commission (EC) said.

Voters include 8.08 crore male, 7.8 crore female and 5,929 third gender electors. As many as 34.8 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.28 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years, the poll authority said. Voter awareness and facilitation measures have been further geared up for higher turnout this time.

PM Modi Slams Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the alliance of Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that "do shehzade" (two princes) have come together for the politics of appeasement. Without taking any names but in an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, "Can you expect development from the flop pair of 'Do ladkon ki jodi' (a pair of boys)?"

Modi addressed a rally here in support of the BJP candidates from Shahjahanpur and nearby Lok Sabha constituencies."Politics of appeasement is the biggest reason for the "do shehzade" to come together," he said.