National Desk, 9th April: Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 witnesses the participation of 1206 candidates from 12 States/Union Territories, along with 4 candidates from the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.
A total of 2633 nominations were filed across 88 Parliamentary Constituencies in the 12 States/UTs slated for polls in phase 2. After scrutiny, 1428 nominations were deemed valid. The withdrawal of candidature concluded on April 8, 2024.
Kerala emerges with the highest number of nominations, boasting 500 candidates vying across 20 Parliamentary Constituencies, followed closely by Karnataka with 491 nominations from 14 PCs. Conversely, Tripura records the lowest number of nominations, with only 14 candidates contesting from a single PC.
In Maharashtra’s 16-Nanded Parliamentary Constituency, a maximum of 92 nominations were received, indicating significant participation.
Notably, Outer Manipur PC, split across two phases, will witness elections for 15 Assembly Constituencies on April 19, 2024 (Phase 1) and for 13 ACs on April 26, 2024 (Phase 2). The Gazette notification issued on April 5, 2024, confirms the presence of 4 contesting candidates for Outer Manipur PC.
Overall, Phase 1 of the elections sees a total of 1625 contesting candidates across 21 States/UTs, comprising 1491 male candidates and 134 female candidates, highlighting the diverse electoral landscape.