Rajasthan’s Power Play: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat vs. Bhupesh Baghel – Lok Sabha Elections 2024

The Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2, which commenced on Friday (April 26), witnesses polling across 88 constituencies spanning 13 states and union territories, from all 20 seats in Kerala to eight seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Phase 2 Voting Details

Key Highlights

In the scheduled second phase, several VIP candidates are actively participating, including prominent leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, BJP leader and Union Minister Rajiv Chandrasekhar, and HD Kumaraswamy.

Reduction in Constituencies

Originally, 89 constituencies were scheduled for polling in the second phase. However, due to the unfortunate demise of BSP candidate Ashok Bhalavi on the Baitul Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, voting has been deferred for another phase. As a result, only 88 constituencies are currently undergoing elections.

VIP Candidates in Phase 2

Let’s take a closer look at the VIP candidates contesting during the Phase 2 elections:

Rahul Gandhi (Congress)

Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, is contesting for the second time from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. He remains one of the most prominent faces in the opposition, having served as a Member of Parliament four times.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (BJP)

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, is one of the senior leaders of the BJP. He is contesting from the Jodhpur constituency in Rajasthan and is a significant figure in BJP’s Rajasthan politics.

Om Birla (BJP)

Om Birla, the Lok Sabha Speaker, is once again contesting from the Kota constituency in Rajasthan. He has been a two-time Member of Parliament and is renowned for his role as the Speaker.

Bhupesh Baghel (Congress)

Former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, is contesting from the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat in the state. Besides being a five-time MLA, he has also led the Chhattisgarh Congress.

Shashi Tharoor (Congress)

Shashi Tharoor is contesting once more from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala. He has been a three-time Member of Parliament and has served as the Minister of State for External Affairs.

Rajiv Chandrasekhar (BJP)

BJP has fielded Rajiv Chandrasekhar from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala. He is known for his role as the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the Modi government.

HD Kumaraswamy (JDS)

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, is contesting from the Mandya constituency in the state. He is the President of Janata Dal (Secular) and has a significant political legacy as the son of former PM HD Deve Gowda.

Shobha Karandlaje (BJP)

BJP has nominated Shobha Karandlaje from the Bengaluru North constituency in Karnataka. She has been a two-time Member of Parliament and has held the position of Minister of State for Agriculture in the Modi government.

Tejasvi Surya (BJP)

Tejasvi Surya is contesting from the Bengaluru South constituency in Karnataka. He is the National President of BJP Youth Wing and had won his first election in 2019. Surya has been involved in various controversies.

Kailash Choudhary (BJP)

Kailash Choudhary is contesting from the Barmer-Jaisalmer constituency in Rajasthan. He has served as the Minister of State for Agriculture in the Modi government and is a prominent Jat face for BJP in Rajasthan.

Ravindra Singh Bhati (Independent)

Ravindra Singh Bhati is contesting independently from the Barmer-Jaisalmer Lok Sabha constituency. He is a sitting MLA and decided to contest independently after not getting the ticket from BJP.

Vaibhav Gehlot (Congress)

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, is contesting from the Jalore constituency in Rajasthan. He had faced defeat in the 2019 elections from Jodhpur.

CP Joshi (BJP)

BJP has nominated CP Joshi from the Chittorgarh Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan. He has been a two-time Member of Parliament and comes from an RSS background.

Dushyant Singh (BJP)

Dushyant Singh, son of former CM Vasundhara Raje, is contesting from the Jhalawar-Baran constituency in Rajasthan. He has been a four-time Member of Parliament and hails from the royal family of Dholpur.

Danish Ali (Congress)

Danish Ali is contesting from the Amroha constituency in Uttar Pradesh on the Congress ticket. He had won the previous election on the BSP ticket and recently joined Congress.

Arun Govil (BJP)

Arun Govil, known for his portrayal of Ram in the famous Ramayan serial, is contesting from the Meerut constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He joined BJP in 2021 and is contesting elections for the first time.

Mahesh Sharma (BJP)

Mahesh Sharma is contesting from the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He has been a Minister in the Modi government and has won two consecutive terms as MP.

Hema Malini (BJP)

Hema Malini, popularly known as the ‘Dream Girl’, is contesting from the Mathura constituency in Uttar Pradesh. She has been a two-time Member of Parliament and also served as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Prakash Ambedkar (VBA)

Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, is contesting from the Akola constituency in Maharashtra. He is the President of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and has been a two-time MP.

Navneet Rana (BJP)

BJP has nominated Navneet Rana from the Amaravati constituency in Maharashtra. She is the President of BJP in Maharashtra and had won as an independent candidate in 2019.

Tarique Anwar (Congress)

Senior leader Tarique Anwar is contesting from the Katihar constituency in Bihar on the Congress ticket. He has been a five-time MP from Katihar and was a minister in the Manmohan Singh government.

Pappu Yadav (Independent)

Pappu Yadav is contesting as an independent candidate from the Purnia constituency in Bihar. He has been a five-time MLA and two-time MP. His wife, Ranjeet Ranjan, is a Congress MP.

Sukanta Majumdar (BJP)

Sukanta Majumdar is contesting from the Balurghat constituency in West Bengal. He is the President of BJP in West Bengal and had won his first election in 2019.