NEW DELHI, April 26 -- Voting commenced at 7 AM on Friday on eighty-eight constituencies spread across 13 states and a Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

This phase of polling, marked by intense battles, has caught the major attention of both senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and notable Opposition leaders.

Among those in the electoral fray are Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor from the Congress party, alongside Union Ministers Ganjendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Choudhary, and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, all contesting in what is considered to be closely fought contests, particularly in BJP strongholds.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from The Northlines....