Notification issued for phase 2 of Lok Sabha polls on April 18
New Delhi: The Election Commission Tuesday issued a notification kick starting the poll process in 97 constituencies spread across 13 states where phase two of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on April 18.
The process of nomination began with the issuance of this notification and will continue till March 26.
Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on March 27 and the last day of withdrawing nomination is March 29. By the evening of March 29, a clear picture on the number of candidates in each of the 97 constituencies will emerge.
All parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu (39 seats) and Puducherry (one seat) will go for polling in the second phase. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will see polling in all the seven phases.
In the second phase, eight UP constituencies including Agra, Aligarh and Mathura, three in West Bengal, including Darjeeling and five in Bihar will go for polls.
UP has 80 seats, while West Bengal and Bihar have 42 and 40 Lok Sabha seats respectively.
The Srinagar and Udhampur seats in Jammu and Kashmir will also go for polling in the second phase. The election will pit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance against mostly different opposition groupings in various states, including of Congress, the Left and regional forces who are continuing to work out a grand alliance to minimise a division of votes against the saffron party.
The BJP has worked out a seat-sharing formula with some new allies and several old partners, by even making concessions in states such as Bihar.
However, opposition parties are yet to do so in several states.
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PM Modi silent on Sabarimala issue, doesn’t care about religion, claims Rahul Gandhi
Pathanamthitta (Kerala) (PTI): Launching a sharp attack on Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the Prime Minister remained silent on the Sabarimala issue during his Kerala visit, indicating that the BJP-LDF works together.
Addressing a Congress election meeting in Adoor, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the party was facing a "combination" of CPI(M) and BJP in the April 9 Assembly elections.
"We are fighting an election against the LDF, which is fully supported by the BJP. On one side is the UDF and on the other is a CPI(M)-BJP combination," he said.
He alleged that there was a "hidden hand" of the BJP in Kerala, a concept often used by economists in the market.
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"The BJP does not want the UDF here because they know the Congress is the only force challenging them nationally. We have an ideological fight with the BJP and the RSS," he said.
He further claimed that while opposition leaders face action by central agencies, no such pressure is being exerted on the LDF leadership in Kerala.
"I have faced 36 cases and interrogated for 55 hours continuously. But there is no such action against the Kerala chief minister or LDF leaders," he alleged.
Referring to Modi's speech in Palakkad on Sunday, Gandhi said the Prime Minister often speaks about temples and religion, but remained silent on Sabarimala.
"He forgot to speak about Sabarimala. He did not mention the issues related to Lord Ayyappa temple. This shows that BJP and LDF are working together," he alleged in the district where the Lord Ayyappa temple is located.
The Congress leader also claimed that the Prime Minister raises religious issues only when it suits electoral interests.
"For him (Modi), if it brings votes, he will speak about temples. Otherwise, he will remain silent," he said.
He asserted that those responsible for alleged irregularities related to the temple would be held accountable when the UDF comes to power.
