New Delhi: Today is the last day of campaigning for the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections. The campaign for the second phase will end this evening. Voting is to be held on April 26 for 8 Lok Sabha seats in the second phase in Uttar Pradesh. For this, there will be a ban on any kind of election campaign related activities and campaigns 48 hours before the end of voting.
According to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan, voting in these six areas will start at 7 am on April 26 and continue till 6 pm. As per the rules, the election campaign will end 48 hours before the end of voting i.e. today at 6 pm. After this, election meetings etc. will not be held and candidates will be able to contact voters by going door to door.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that the Election Commission has banned carrying mobile phones, smart phones, wireless sets etc. inside the polling stations on the day of polling, while the presiding officers will be able to take their phones in silent mode. Can be used only for communication with sector officers, returning officers and supervisors in case of need and emergency.
In the second phase in the state, voting will be held in Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hoshangabad parliamentary constituencies on April 26. During this period, more than one crore eleven lakh voters will be able to seal the fate of about 80 candidates of the second phase in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). In this phase, the most prestigious seat is considered to be Khajuraho, where state president and sitting MP Vishnudutt Sharma is contesting as BJP candidate. Here, the nomination papers of Mrs. Meira Yadav (SP), who was nominated by the Indi alliance, have already been cancelled. Now no candidate from Congress or SP is here. However, a total of more than a dozen candidates are still in the fray, most of whom are independent.
Meanwhile, before the end of the election campaign, BJP and the main opposition party Congress have put in all their strength in these areas. BJP National President JP Nadda on Tuesday held election meetings in Tikamgarh, Rewa and Satna parliamentary constituencies and targeted all the opposition parties and their leaders, including the Congress, and counted the achievements of the Modi government at the Center in the last ten years.
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav also held election meetings in Narsinghpur, Rewa and Satna districts on Tuesday. State President Shri Sharma himself is handling the campaign in Khajuraho. Apart from this, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, former minister Narottam Mishra and other leaders have also taken part in the election campaign.
On the other hand, National President Mallikarjun Kharge has taken meetings on behalf of Congress. The duo of State President Jitu Patwari, former State President Arun Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha are also reaching various parliamentary constituencies and campaigning for the party candidates by encouraging them.
In the first phase of Lok Sabha, voting took place in six parliamentary constituencies in the state on April 19. In the second phase, voting in six parliamentary constituencies will be held on Friday, April 26. In the third and fourth phase, voting in nine and eight parliamentary constituencies is proposed on May 7 and May 13 respectively. Currently, BJP holds 28 out of total 29 seats in the state, while Chhindwara is with Congress.
