Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Hema Malini, Om Birla - Key Candidates In Election Phase 2

Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, and actor-politician Arun Govil are among the key candidates in the fray for the 2nd phase of polls with Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their constituencies.

The voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will take place across 89 seats in 13 states on Friday.

The stage is set for a three-cornered contest in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh going to polls in the second phase tomorrow.

Schools and colleges in Gautam Buddh Nagar will stay closed on account of Lok Sabha election in the constituency on Friday but will remain open on Saturday, officials said.

The Election Commission (EC) in Karnataka has decided to establish 1,832 special polling booths to encourage different sections such as tribals, women, and persons with disabilities to participate and vote in the Lok Sabha elections.

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that the future of the INDIA bloc depends, to a large extent, on the performance of his party in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections.