Kerala Lok Sabha Election 2024: Kerala goes to polls today with 194 contestants across 20 seats. Notable figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar vie for voter support amid heightened political fervour.
A total of 194 contestants in 20 Lok Sabha seats are vying for voters’ support as Kerala goes to polls on Friday, after over a month of fierce campaigns by the Communist Party Of India (Marxist)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF), and the BJP-led NDA.
Several senior BJP and Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, and Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Choudhary and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, are in the fray in the 88 seats.
While Rahul Gandhi is seeking a second straight term from Wayanad, Chandrasekhar is pitted against three-time MP Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP vs CONGRESS
Following the first phase polls in 102 seats on April 19, PM Modi has stepped up his attack on the Congress, accusing it of seeking to provide nationwide reservations to Muslims in the quotas meant for Other Backward Classes.
He also warned voters in his poll rallies that a Congress government at the Centre will snatch their assets, including women’s ‘mangalsutra’, to benefit those who are “intruders” and have more children, as he cited a speech by his predecessor Manmohan Singh to back his claim.
The Congress, in turn, has accused him of lying and spreading communal divide, claiming that he has been rattled by the BJP’s poor show and complaining to the Election Commission against him.
The BJP also has filed complaints against Congress leaders, including Gandhi, prompting the poll watchdog to issue notices to the presidents of the two parties seeking their replies.
Will the BJP’s drought in Kerala finally end and will a spike in political temperature following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attack on the Congress boost the turnout after a relatively muted voter enthusiasm, are some of the questions weighing on people’s minds.
POLLING IN KERALA
More than 2.75 crore voters are set to cast their votes as polling began at 7 am today.
The mock polls were conducted at 6 am in the presence of representatives of political parties to ensure that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were working properly, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Kaul told news agency PTI.
He also said that 30,238 EVMs will be used in the state for this Lok Sabha election, and if any of the machines fail, reserve ones will be provided by the respective sector officers.
To ensure a free and transparent election, a webcasting system has been put in place for live monitoring of all booths in eight of Kerala’s 14 districts, namely Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram.