Key Contenders In Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2: Rahul Gandhi, Tejasvi Surya And Arun Govil

India's parliamentary elections enter the second phase on April 26, spanning across 13 states and union territories. This phase includes polling in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 out of 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, and eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, seven seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura, and Jammu and Kashmir are also set for polls on Friday. The voting rounds continue until June 1, with results expected on June 4.

Key candidates in focus -

Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad): The Congress MP and former party president is contesting for his second term from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, facing challenges from BJP state president K Surendran and CPI's Annie Raja.
Arun Govil (Meerut): Known for portraying Lord Ram in 'Ramayan,' Govil replaced three-time BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal in Meerut. He is up against Sunita Verma of the Samajwadi Party and Devvrat Kumar Tyagi of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Hema Malini (Mathura): The BJP stalwart seeks reelection from Mathura, facing competition from Congress' Mukesh Dhangar.
Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Thiruvananthapuram): Tharoor, a Congress veteran, contests against Chandrashekhar of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur): The Union Minister aims for a third term in Jodhpur, challenged by Congress' Karan Singh Uchiyarda.
Bhupesh Baghel (Rajnandgaon): Former Chhattisgarh CM Baghel contests from the BJP stronghold Rajnandgaon.
Tejasvi Surya (Bangalore South): The sitting MP and the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) will contest against Congress' Sowmya Reddy.
Sukanta Majumdar (Balurghat): The incumbent BJP MP faces competition from Biplab Mitra of the Trinamool Congress and Joydeb Siddhanta of the Revolutionary Socialist Party in Balurghat.