Here is your 5-point guide to what is at stake in this key battle:
Karnataka is mostly a two-sided contest between the BJP and the ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) coalition. Congress leader Siddaramaiah and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, who have shared a rocky equation for over 15 years, campaigned together this time in their attempt to pitch a united front against the BJP.
The ruling alliance is grappling with resentment among its workers over seat-sharing agreement that have eaten into the two parties' share of constituencies. An adverse result could impact the longevity of the coalition government in the state.
It is much more complex in Tamil Nadu which has a four-cornered contest. The ruling AIADMK-led alliance including the BJP and a host of smaller state parties are up against a coalition led by its longtime rival DMK that includes the Congress and the Left. The AIADMK spin-off TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK or Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan's MNM or Makkal Needhi Maiam are the two other parties.
Tamil Nadu is also holding by-elections for 18 assembly constituencies most of which the ruling AIADMK must win in order to stay in power. It is also the first election in several decades when the two main parties don't have their iconic leaders J Jayalalithaa, who died in 2016 and M Karunanidhi, who died in 2018.
The elections in Tamil Nadu are once again mired in allegations of voters being bribed. The election in the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency was cancelled after a huge haul of cash.
Constituencies voting in Phase 2 Lok Sabha Polls 2019
State | Voting | Constituencies |
---|---|---|
Tamil Nadu | 38/39 | Arakkonam, Arani, Chennai Central, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chidambaram, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Kanniyakumari, Karur, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Nilgiris, Perambalur, Pollachi, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Sivaganga , Sriperumbudur, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Theni, Thoothukkudi, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Tiruvannamalai, Viluppuram, Virudhunagar, Tiruvallur |
Karnataka | 14/28 | Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur, Kolar, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural |
Maharashtra | 10/48 | Akola, Amravat, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Buldhana, Hingoli, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur |
Uttar Pradesh | 8/80 | Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Fatehpur Sikri, Nagina, Amroha, Mathura, Agra |
Bihar | 5/40 | Banka, Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Purnia |
Odisha | 5/21 | Aska, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Kandhamal |
Assam | 5/14 | Mangaldoi, Karimganj, Silchar, Nawgong, Autonomous District |
Chhattisgarh | 3/11 | Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker |
West Bengal | 3/42 | Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Raiganj |
J&K | 2/6 | Srinagar, Udhampur |
Manipur | 1/2 | Inner Manipur |
Puducherry | 1/1 | Puducherry |
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