Polling in two phases in Rajasthan

The Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases, election commission officials said Wednesday.

Voting for the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state will take place April 17 and 24, a state election commission officer said.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have intensified their preparations, with stalwarts from both parties scheduled to hold public rallies at various places in the coming days.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will meet party workers during his visit to Deoli town in Tonk district March 10. He is also likely to address a rally.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also in the fray this time, and has said it will field candidates in all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies from Rajasthan. It has already announced names of candidates for three constituencies in the state.

In the last elections in 2009, the Congress won in 20 constituencies, while the BJP bagged four seats. One seat was won by an Independent candidate.

Experts said the recently-held assembly elections, in which the BJP won, may influence the electorate.

"Given the fact that the Congress fared so bad in the assembly elections, chances are dim that it will be able to win substantial seats in the general elections," said political analyst Vijay Sharma.