Kerala Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 2: The stage is set for a high-octane political battle in the southern state of Kerala as key figures like Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and V Muraleedharan enter the fray for the Lok Sabha Elections in part 2 on April 26. With a lineup that includes seasoned politicians from numerous events, the competitors is predicted to be fiercely contested. The BJP’s ambition to safe an electoral win in the state, provides an additional layer of depth to the race. The state, which has traditionally by no means elected a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker to Parliament, has seen a month-long fierce marketing campaign by the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF, Congress-headed UDF, and the BJP-led NDA.
Over 2.75 crore voters to determine destiny of 194 candidates
According to the Election Commission, Kerala has over 2.75 crore voters, and polling will start at 7 am on Friday. Notably, there are 2,77,49,159 voters in the state this time, with greater than 5 lakh being first-time voters.
In Kerala, a complete of 194 candidates throughout 20 Lok Sabha seats are competing for voters’ help because the state heads to the polls on Friday. Of the overall 194 candidates, 169 are males and 25 are girls.
In the upcoming elections, the Kottayam constituency stands out with the very best variety of candidates, boasting 14 contenders, whereas Alathur has the fewest with 5 candidates. Noteworthy figures embrace 13 candidates in Kozhikode, and 12 every in Kollam and Kannur constituencies. Vadakara constituency distinguishes itself with the very best variety of feminine candidates, totalling 4.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the UDF received 19 of the 20 seats, whereas the LDF had to settle for only a single seat.
In this election, two union ministers, a state minister, three actors, and some MLAs are among the many candidates vying for electoral success. The BJP-led NDA is notably fielding the very best variety of girls candidates, totaling 5.
The election campaigns have been characterised by a big selection of points, together with the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), allegations of ‘love jihad’, controversies surrounding the film ‘The Kerala Story’, the Manipur violence incident, Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad, and accusations of minority appeasement by varied political events. These subjects have dominated the general public discourse throughout the high-decibel campaigning interval.
Prominent candidates and key constituency to be careful
1. Wayanad (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: Rahul Gandhi, Margin: 4,31,770)
2024 candidates: Rahul Gandhi (Congress) Vs Annie Raja (CPI) Vs Ok Surendran (BJP)
2. Kannur (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: Ok Sudhakaran, Margin: 94,559)
2024 candidates: Ok Sudhakaran (Congress) Vs MV Jayarajan (CPM) Vs C Raghunath (BJP)
3. Alappuzha (2019 Result: CPM, Winner: AM Ariff, Margin: 10,474)
2024 candidates: KC Venugopal (Congress) Vs AM Ariff (CPM) Vs Sobha Surendran (BJP)
4. Thrissur (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: TN Prathapan, Margin: 93,633)
2024 candidates: Ok Muraleedharan (Congress) Vs VS Sunil Kumar (CPI) Vs Suresh Gopi (BJP)
5. Attingal (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: Adoor Prakash, Margin: 38,247)
2024 candidates: Adoor Prakash (Congress) Vs V Joy (CPM) Vs V Muraleedharan (BJP)
6. Pathanamthitta (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: Anto Antony, Margin: 44,243)
2024 candidates: Anto Antony (Congress) Vs Anil Ok Antony (BJP) Vs Dr TM Thomas Issac (CPM)
7. Thiruvananthapuram (2019 Result: Congress, Winner: Shashi Tharoor, Margin: 99,989)
2024 candidates: Shashi Tharoor (Congress) Vs Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BJP) Vs Pannian Ravindran (CPI)
8. Kollam (2019 Result: RSP, Winner: NK Premachandran, Margin: 1,48,856)
2024 candidates: NK Premachandran (RSP) Vs Mukesh Madhavan (CPM) Vs G Krishnakumar (BJP)
9. Kottayam (2019 Result: KCM, Winner: Thomas Chazhikadan, Margin: 1,06,259)
2024 candidates: Thomas Chazhikadan (KCM) Vs Thushar Vellappally (BDJS) Vs Advocate Ok Francis George (Kerala Congress)
10. Malappuram (2019 Result: IUML, Winner: PK Kunhalikutty, Margin: 2,60,153)
2024 candidates: ET Mohammed Basheer (IUML) Vs V Vaseef (CPM) Vs Dr M Abdul Salam (BJP)
