Kerala Votes Today: Key Candidates and Constituencies in Focus
Kerala witnessed the commencement of voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections at 7 am on Friday. A significant turnout of voters was observed at polling stations early in the morning, with many eager to cast their votes to avoid the scorching heat.
While certain areas reported malfunctioning of voting machines, the issue was promptly addressed, and the voting process resumed without delay. Notable figures including opposition leader V. D. Satheesan, LDF convener E. P. Jayarajan, and others exercised their voting rights during the early hours.
The polling is being conducted under tight security measures, with over 66,000 security personnel deployed and the election process being closely monitored through an extensive webcasting system. Voting commenced after a mock poll was conducted to test the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
According to the Election Commission, Kerala has over 2.75 crore voters, and the state will determine the fate of 194 candidates across all 20 parliamentary constituencies in the second phase. The constituencies include Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram, and others.
Key candidates in Kerala include Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram, and K Sudhakaran from Kannur. Rahul Gandhi, representing Congress, is facing competition from CPI(M)’s Annie Raja and BJP’s K Surendran in Wayanad. Tharoor is up against BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI’s Pannyan Raveendran in Thiruvananthapuram, while Sudhakaran is contesting against CPM’s MV Jayarajan and NDA’s C Raghunath in Kannur.
Other significant contests include K Muraleedharan (Congress) versus VS Sunil Kumar (CPI) and Suresh Gopi (BJP) in Thrissur, Adoor Prakash (Congress) versus V Joy (CPM) and V Muraleedharan (BJP) in Attingal, and MK Raghavan (Congress) versus Elamaram Kareemm (CPM) and MT Ramesh (BJP) in Kozhikode.
The outcome of the elections in Kerala will play a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the state and the nation at large.
