Modi, Kharge Appeal Voters before the End of Phase 2 Polling

PM Modi and Congress chief Kharge urged higher voter turnout ahead of phase 2 polls across 12 states. ECI issued violation notices to both parties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to voters yesterday, urging them to participate in the elections for the second phase of the Lok Sabha, which begins today in 12 states and 1 Union Territory.

Modi used X (previously Twitter) to request "extraordinary" turnout that will "consolidate our democracy." He particularly encouraged the youth and women to exercise their voting rights. Kharge stressed that this election will decide whether India is a democracy or a dictatorship by saying this.

The calls came in after a drop in turnout to 64-65% in phase 1, down from 69.3% in 2019 for the same seats. Weather conditions and voter apathy were cited as reasons for the low voter turnout.

The second round which is the most heated period will see 158.8 million voters determine the future of 1,202 candidates from 88 constituencies. The main contenders include, BJP's Hema Malini (Mathura), Congress' Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad) and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Union Minister fighting against Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.

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All 20 Kerala seats are at polls, with three former CMs in the race. The Election Commission, meanwhile, issued warnings to both national parties, citing their top leaders for violating the Model Code.

Simultaneously, the Aam Aadmi Party launched its poll song "Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se" that directly referred to the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejrival. And after the elections NCP's Sharad Pawar advocated for unity among the opposition group to guard democracy.