India News | Campaign Ends for 2nd Phase of LS Polls in Madhya Pradesh; 80 Candidates in Fray from Six Seats
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Union minister Virendra Kumar and Madhya Pradesh BJP chief VD Sharma are among 80 candidates in the fray from six constituencies in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state, campaigning for which ended on Wednesday evening.
Bhopal, Apr 24 (PTI) Union minister Virendra Kumar and Madhya Pradesh BJP chief VD Sharma are among 80 candidates in the fray from six constituencies in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state, campaigning for which ended on Wednesday evening.
The upcoming contest is a straight fight between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, which had won just one of the 29 seats in MP in the 2019 general elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the main campaigner for BJP who highlighted "Modi's guarantees" while seeking a huge mandate with the "abki baar 400 paar" slogan at poll rallies in Damoh and Pipariya.
On the other hand, the Congress mainly stuck to the "threat to the Constitution" theme, with the party president Mallikarjun Kharge telling voters that the BJP would end democracy if voted to power again.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi couldn't attend a rally in Satna as he was unwell.
Voting will be held in Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hoshangabad constituencies, which cover 55 assembly segments, in the second phase.
In the 2019 elections, BJP had won 28 out of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, barring Chhindwara.
At Damoh, Modi underlined the need for a strong and stable government at the Centre in view of the prevailing situation in the world.
Addressing a rally at Pipariya in Hoshangabad on B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Modi highlighted how the Central government developed places associated with the framer of the Constitution and worked for the uplift of tribals.
At the Satna rally, Kharge had appealed to the people to be wary of BJP's "plans" to change the Constitution.
Apart from Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan campaigned for the party.
For Congress, MP state unit president Jitu Patwari, senior leader Vivek Tankha, and former Union minister Arun Yadav led the canvassing.
Sitting MP and Union minister Virendra Kumar is seeking a fourth term from the Tikamgarh (SC) constituency where he is pitted against Congress' Pankaj Ahirwar.
In Khajuraho, sitting MP and Madhya Pradesh BJP president VD Sharma is in the fray against INDIA bloc candidate RB Prajapati, a retired IAS officer, who belongs to the All India Forward Bloc.
In Satna, sitting MP Ganesh Singh of BJP has locked horns with Congress leader Siddharth Kushwaha.
The main contest in Damoh lies between BJP's Rahul Singh Lodhi and his challenger from Congress, Tarbar Singh Lodhi.
In Rewa, BJP's sitting MP Janardhan Mishra is pitted against Congress' Neelam Mishra, while in the Hoshangabad constituency, the main contestants are Darshan Singh Choudhary and Sanjay Sharma of BJP and Congress, respectively.
At 19, Satna constituency has the highest number of contestants.
A total of seven candidates are in the fray from Tikamgarh (SC) seat, 14 each in Damoh, Rewa and Khajuraho, and 12 in Hoshangabad.
Around 1,11,25,598 voters, including 58,13,410 men, 53,12,025 women, and 163 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in the second phase.
A total of 12,822 polling booths are set up across the six constituencies.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)