Phase 2 of Lok Sabha polls: 88 seats, of which BJP had won 54, Congress 18

In 2019, the parties that now constitute the Opposition INDIA bloc and the ruling NDA had won 60 and 23 of these seats, the undivided Shiv Sena’s 4 seats and the BSP’s 1 seat. In terms of vote share, the NDA had got 50.6% of the votes compared to the INDIA bloc’s 42.1% (excluding the votes of the Shiv Sena and NCP, both of which were united at the time).

The BJP alone had won 54 of these 88 seats (including then Independents Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish and Amravati MP Navneet Rana, who joined the BJP recently), with the Congress far behind at 18.

In 2014, the NDA had won 45 of these seats and the INDIA bloc parties 35, with eight going to other parties.

What the results looked like in 2019.

The candidates

There will be a total 1,202 candidates in the fray on Friday. The BSP has fielded the most candidates in this phase at 74, followed by the BJP at 69 and the Congress at 68. Karnataka, with 14 seats going to polls, has the most candidates at 247, followed by Maharashtra (8 seats) at 204 and Kerala (all its 20 seats) at 189.

The candidates in Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha polls.

Of the 250 candidates with criminal cases, the most are in Kerala at 67, followed by Maharashtra at 49 and Karnataka at 39. In Kerala, more than a third of all the candidates are facing criminal cases. Among the major parties, the Congress has the most candidates with criminal cases at 35 or 51% of all its candidates in the second phase, followed closely by the BJP at 31 or 45%. Of the CPI(M)’s 18 candidates (across four states), 14 are facing pending FIRs, accounting for 78% of all its nominees. There are also 74 Independents with criminal cases.

Party-Wise Candidates with Criminal Cases

Congress: 35 candidates (51% of all party candidates)

BJP: 31 (45%)

CPI(M): 14 (78%)

BSP: 6 (8%)

CPI: 5 (100%)

Of the 390 crorepati candidates, Karnataka has the most at 80, followed by Kerala at 63 and Maharashtra at 60. As a share of all candidates, however, 42 crorepatis in eight seats in UP account for 46% of all its candidates in the second phase. Among the parties, the BJP has the most crorepati candidates at 64 or 93% of its candidates, followed by the Congress at 62 or 91% of its candidates. The two richest candidates in the second phase are both from the Congress. At least six Independents have declared zero assets in this phase.

Richest Candidates

Venkataramane Gowda (Congress) | Contesting from Mandya in Karnataka | Assets: Rs 623 crore

D K Suresh (Congress) | Contesting from Bangalore Rural in Karnataka | Assets: Rs 593 crore

Hema Malini (BJP) | Contesting from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh | Assets: Rs 279 crore

The second phase has a total 100 women candidates, taking the total of the first two phases to 235. At 9, BJP has the most women candidates, followed by the Congress and BSP at 6 each. Kerala has the most women candidates at 24. In Tripura East, 22% of the candidates are women, the highest in this phase.

In 2014 and 2019, 8 women won from these 89 seats.

Youngest and Oldest

Youngest: 7 candidates aged 25, including 5 Independents and 1 from BJP ally LJP

Oldest: Kalyan Singh Bhati, an 88-year-old Independent contesting from Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh

The key battlegrounds in Phase 2

Kerala

Total seats: 20

Total electors: 2.71 crore

First-time voters: 5.34 lakh

How Kerala voted in the past.

How Karnataka voted in the past.

How Rajasthan voted in the past.

How Uttar Pradesh voted in the past.

Other states and UTs going to polls

Maharashtra: 8 seats (Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim), four won by the undivided Shiv Sena, three by the BJP and 1 by an Independent in 2019

Madhya Pradesh: 6 seats (Damoh, Hoshangabad, Khajuraho, Rewa, Satna, Tikamgarh), all won by the BJP

Assam: 5 seats (Diphu, Karimganj, Darrang-Udalguri, Nagaon, Silchar), four won by the BJP and one by the Congress

Bihar: 5 seats (Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj, Purnia), four won by the JD(U) and one by the Congress

Chhattisgarh: 3 seats (Kanker, Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon), all won by the BJP

West Bengal: 3 seats (Balurghat, Darjeeling, Raiganj), all won by the BJP

J&K: 1 seat (Jammu), won by the BJP

5 contests to watch out for

Wayanad, Kerala: Sitting MP Rahul Gandhi (Congress) vs Annie Raja (CPM) vs K Surendran (BJP) | 2019 winner: Congress

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Sitting MP Shashi Tharoor (Congress) vs Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BJP) | 2019 winner: Congress

Mandya, Karnataka: Former CM H D Kumaraswamy (JDS) vs Venkataramane Gowda (Congress) | 2019 winner: Independent (now with BJP)

Jodhpur, Rajasthan: Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (BJP) vs Karan Singh Uchiyarda (Congress) | 2019 winner: BJP

Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh: Sitting MP Santosh Pandey (BJP) vs former CM Bhupesh Baghel (Congress) | 2019 winner: BJP