Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 3: Kerala votes today; BJP, Congress, CPI M to fight for 20 seats

Phase 3 of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is being conducted today. A total of 115 constituencies across 14 states are going to the polls on April 23. One of the 14 states voting today is Kerala. Unlike most of the states, elections in the Southern state are being conducted in a single phase.     

There are 20 parliamentary constituencies in Kerala, including Wayanad that recently became the talk of the town for Rahul Gandhi's candidature.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 3: Kerala constituencies

The 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala that are going to the polls are Kasaragod, Kannur, Vadakara, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ponnani, Palakkad, Alathur, Thrissur, Chalakudy, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Mavelikkara, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Attingal, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 3: Kerala candidates

The national parties BJP and Congress are taking on each other with CPI (M) in the fray as well. Some of the big names to look out for in Kerala are Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan.

In the much talked-about Wayanad, BDJS' Thushar Vellappally is facing Congress President Rahul Gandhi. PP Suner is the CPI (M) candidate from Wayanad. The seat is currently vacant.

Also read: Lok Sabha Election 2019: Poll dates, full schedule, voting FAQs, election results, constituencies' details

One of the biggest battles in the state will take place in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency between popular Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, state BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan and C Divakaran from CPI (M). Currently, Tharoor is the MP from the constituency.

In Pathanamthitta, Congress' Anto Antony is taking on BJP's K Surendran and Veena George from CPI (M).

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Major parties in Kerala

Congress has a significant presence in the state. However, in the last Lok Sabha Election, Congress' seat count had dipped from 13 to 8. Additionally, BJP is trying to find its footing in the state. This election season, it has taken up the cause of Sabarimala to woo its voters. The Supreme Court verdict allowed women entry into the temple, following which protests erupted to stop women from entering. BJP workers were on the forefront of these protests and are looking to consolidate the Hindu votes in its favour.

In Phase 3, all the seats in Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, along with some from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam are going to the polls.

Also read: Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 3 Live Updates: Narendra Modi meets mother in Gandhinagar; to cast vote soon

Also read: Lok Sabha Election 2019: Phase 3 voting FAQs; PM Modi, Amit Shah cast votes today; polling across 117 seats in 15 states