By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Voting for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections started on April 19 in 102 constituencies spread across 17 states and four union territories. Eight Union Ministers, including Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Jitendra Singh, and Bhupendra Yadav, as well as Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, Kanimozhi of the DMK, and K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu BJP president, are among the key personalities.
Southern India has the most seats in the first phase, with 39 from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid repeated visits to the state during the campaign, as the BJP sought to establish a presence there. However, the top challengers are the Dravidian powerful competitors, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).