'This election is to save democracy, Constitution': Rahul's appeal to voters

A day before the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged people to support his party and asserted this is an election to save democracy and the Constitution which he alleged the BJP-RSS are trying to "destroy".

Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 89 seats in 13 states.

Gandhi, who is seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala, in a video appeal said this election is to save democracy and the Constitution.

"On one hand there is the BJP and the RSS that are trying to finish democracy and destroying the Constitution and on the other hand there is the Congress and the INDIA alliance that is saving democracy and the Constitution," the former Congress chief said.

"We walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir for over 4,000 km, we traversed from Manipur to Maharashtra and after speaking with you and listening to your issues we prepared our revolutionary manifesto. This is your manifesto. It is prepared by the Congress but this is your voice," Gandhi said in his appeal to the people.

"We have given five guarantees. Narendra Modi made 22-25 people billionaires and we are going to make crores of women and youth lakhpatis. We are giving a legal guarantee of MSP to farmers and waiving off their loans. We have promised to give a minimum wage of Rs 400 to labourers," he added.

Gandhi said this is a manifesto to change the country and it is revolutionary.

"Support the Congress, save the Constitution and press the 'hand button'," he said in the appeal.

All 20 seats of Kerala will go to polls besides 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 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.

A total of 1,206 candidates with four from Outer Manipur constituency will contest the elections in this phase, the campaigning for which ended Wednesday evening.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh (Cong), and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) are among the key candidates while BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat are seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies.

In a post on X in Hindi along with the video appeal, Gandhi said, "In this election to protect the Constitution and democracy, to form the 'government of Indians', coming out the 'Mitra Kaal', do your duty towards democracy."