97 constituencies, 12 states and a UT to decide fate of India in second phase of LS elections
New Delhi, April 17: As the nation gears up for its second phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections, 97 constituencies spread over 12 states and a Union Territory will decide the future of India on Thursday. Counting of votes will take place on May 23, after all seven phases of voting are completed.
The country will drop off curtains as more than 1 lakh 81 thousand polling booths are ready for smooth conduct of polls. Over 15 crore 79 lakh and 34 thousand voters to decide fate of 1629 candidates.
In the second phase, the states to decide the future are as follows:
Tamil Nadu: 39
Karnataka: 14
Maharashtra: 10
Uttar Pradesh: 8
Assam: 5
Bihar: 5
Odisha: 5
Chhattisgarh: 3
West Bengal: 3
Jammu and Kashmir: 2
Manipur: 1
Tripura: 1
Puducherry: 1
Karnataka is the only south Indian state which has significance of BJP presence as the party had won 17 of its 28 seats in 2014 elections. Significant victories in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are critical to the Congress-led alliance’s chances of unseating Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on campaigning by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP leader Mayawati, SP leader Azam Khan and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi that 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.