Lok Sabha elections 2019: Stage set for polling on 95 seats in 2nd phase

Delhi: The stage is set for polling in 95 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 11 states and the union territory of Puducherry in the second of seven-phased general elections to elect a new government at the Centre. Several key faces including Union ministers Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, JDS chief HD Deve Gowda, BJP's Hema Malini and DMK's A Raja and Kanimozhi are in the fray in the second phase.

Polling will be held in 38 seats in Tamil Nadu, 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry. Elections will also be held in 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha.

Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled on Tuesday following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from a DMK candidate's office a few days ago. Also, election was scheduled to be held in one seat in Tripura but the Election Commission in a late night order postponed polling till April 23 citing law and order situation.

In Odisha, besides the five Lok Sabha seats, polling will also be held for 35 assembly constituencies. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is contesting from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district and Bijepur in Bargarh. While there are five women candidates in the Lok Sabha seats, 25 women are in the fray for the assembly segments.

In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, contesting as part of the NDA. The alliance comprises among others BJP, PMK, DMDK and Tamil Maanila Congress of former union minister G K Vasan.

The DMK has formed a "Secular Progressive Alliance" comprising the Congress and Left parties, among others.

The electoral battle in the state is largely among the two fronts led by the Dravidian majors and the AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran, an AIADMK rival, though parties such as the fledgling Makkal Needhi Maiam of actor-politician Kamal Hassan are also testing their fortunes.

Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu are the first ever after the demise of Dravidian stalwarts J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK.

Allegations of use of money flew thick and fast in the run up to the polls with poll authorities seizing over Rs 127 crore cash and gold and other precious metals with a total value of Rs 284 crore in various parts of the state.

The EC in an order Tuesday evening cancelled the poll in Vellore Lok Sabha constituency over allegations of excess use of money power. Authorities had seized over Rs 10 crore cash from a premises of an associate of a DMK leader recently.

The district police had filed a complaint against DMK candidate Kathir Anand as well as two party functionaries on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department on April 10.

It was a relatively low key campaign in Srinagar with only Farooq Abdullah, who is seeking a fourth term in the lower house of Parliament from the seat, making his presence felt as a candidate.

Abdullah is pitched against political greenhorns Aga Moshin of the PDP, Irfan Ansari of the People's Conference and Khalid Jehangir of the BJP.

An election official said there were only 46 rallies in Srinagar district, a city of over 12 lakh residents, during the campaign period.

The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23.