Voting commenced for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday morning, covering 88 constituencies across 12 states and one union territory.
Polling began at 7 am in a diverse range of constituencies, including all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Bihar and Assam, and three seats each in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Additionally, one seat each in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, and Tripura witnessed voting.
Voter Demographics:
A total of 15.88 crore voters are eligible to exercise their voting rights in this phase. This includes 8.08 crore male voters, 7.8 crore female voters, and 5,929 third-gender electors spread across 1.67 lakh polling stations. Notably, among them are 34.8 lakh first-time voters and 3.28 crore young voters aged between 20 and 29 years.
Candidate Statistics:
In this phase, 1,202 candidates are contesting, comprising 102 women and two individuals from the third-gender category.
Wealthiest Candidates:
1. Venkataramane Gowda (‘Star Chandru’)
– Contesting from Karnataka’s Mandya Lok Sabha seat
– Assets worth over ₹622 crore
2. DK Suresh
– Congress MP from Bangalore Rural seat, Karnataka
– Assets valued at ₹593 crore
3. Hema Malini
– BJP MP contesting from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura Lok Sabha seat
– Assets valued at ₹278 crore
4. Sanjay Sharma
– Congress candidate from Madhya Pradesh
– Assets valued at ₹232 crore
5. HD Kumaraswamy
– Former Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader
– Total assets valued at approximately ₹217.21 crore
READ MORE : Lok Sabha Elections 2024 : Tripura Leads With 16.65% Voter Turnout, Kerala Records 11.98%
Least Wealthy Candidates:
1. Laxman Nagorao Patil
– Independent candidate from Nanded, Maharashtra
– Assets worth ₹500
2. Rajeswari KR
– Independent candidate from Kerala’s Kasaragod
– Assets worth ₹1,000
3. Pruthvisamrat Mukindrao Dipwansh
– Independent candidate from Maharashtra’s Amravati (SC) seat
– Assets worth ₹1,400
4. Shahnaz Bano
– Dalit Kranti Dal leader contesting from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur
– Assets worth ₹2,000
5. VP Kochumon
– Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) candidate from Kerala’s Kottayam
– Assets worth ₹2,230
With diverse demographics and a wide array of candidates, the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections presents a significant moment for Indian democracy, as voters across regions exercise their democratic rights while candidates from varying backgrounds vie for parliamentary seats.
