Campaigning for second phase Lok Sabha elections come to an end

Bhubaneswar: Campaigning for the second phase of the 17^th Lok Sabha Elections came to an end on Tuesday at 4 pm. Odisha’s five parliamentary constituencies amidst India’s 97 constituencies, spread over 12 States and a Union Territory that will vote on Thursday. Counting of votes will take place on May 23, after all the seven phases of voting get completed. Party heavyweights with star campaigners left no stone unturned when it came to campaigning.

In the second phase, voters from Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal, and Aska constituencies will register their votes. Along with these five Lok Sabha seats, 35 Vidhan Sabha seats also go for polling.

As of now, the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has four of the above mentioned five Lok Sabha seats. The only exception being the Sundargarh seat which was won by Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MP Jual Oram. Out of the mentioned 35 Vidhan Sabha seats, BJD had won 23, Congress 6, BJP 4 and one each for Samatakanti and CPM back in 2014 Elections.

The second phase elections are touted to be an acid test for BJD as they will be hoping to retain the four Lok Sabha and 23 Vidhan Sabha seats in 2019 Elections.

In the second phase, all 38 constituencies of Tamil Nadu (except Vellore), 14 in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, and Bihar, 3 each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Manipur, Tripura and Puducherry will be voting.

It is important to note here that polling in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore Lok Sabha constituency has been cancelled, the Election Commission confirmed on Tuesday. This development was the result of IT department seizing about Rs 11.5 crore cash from a warehouse belonging to a DMK candidate earlier this month

Decisive victories in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are critical to the Congress-led alliance’s chances of unseating Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Karnataka is the only south Indian State where the BJP has a significant presence, and the party had won 17 of its 28 seats in 2014.

Also Read: Polling in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore may be scrapped after cash haul