Lok Sabha elections: Voting in 94 constituencies across 11 states and Union territories in Phase 3
NEW DELHI: Voting is set to be held in 94 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union territories on Tuesday, marking the third phase of Lok Sabha polls. The stakes are high, particularly for the BJP, which secured an overwhelming majority of these seats, including all in Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, in the last election. Over 11 crore people will be eligible to vote in Phase 3.
Key candidates in fray
Over 1,300 candidates, including around 120 women, are contesting in this phase. Among the notable candidates are Union ministers Amit Shah (Gandhinagar), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and SP Singh Baghel (Agra).
Polling details
With Surat already secured by the BJP unopposed, voting will take place in 25 seats in Prime Minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat, 11 seats in Maharashtra, 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and the remaining 14 of the 28 in Karnataka. Additionally, constituencies in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will go to polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are expected to cast their votes in Gujarat. Former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Vidisha) and Digvijaya Singh (Rajgarh) have also returned to the Lok Sabha electoral fray this time.
Key contests
A notable contest will take place in Maharashtra’s Baramati between Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
The seats where polling will take place on May 7 are Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale. Prominent contestants also include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP’s Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara as well Union minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Altogether 2.09 crore persons are eligible to vote for 258 candidates in the third phase, for which 23,036 polling centres have been set up, the official said. There are 1,07,64,741 male voters, 1,02,26,946 female voters and 929 from the third gender in the third phase, he said.
In Uttar Pradesh, the current phase is important for the Mulayam Singh Yadav family, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav aiming to retain the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat.
Dimple Yadav had won the seat in bypolls following the demise of her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akshaya Yadav, son of Ram Gopal Yadav, the national principal general secretary of SP, will try to reclaim the Firozabad seat, which he had won in 2014.
Aditya Yadav, the son of SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, is making his electoral debut from the Budaun Lok Sabha seat, which was represented by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav in 2014.
The fate of former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri) and AIUDF Badruddin Ajmal (Dhubri) will also be decided on May 7.
There is a significant battle between the BJP’s Mansukhbhai Vasava and AAP’s Chaitar Vasava in Bharuch in Gujarat.
The PM, HM and the accompanying leaders will head to their respective polling booths to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. The constituencies set to go to polls in Gujarat tomorrow include Kachchh, Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Anand, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara, Chhota Udaipur, Bharuch, Bardoli, Navsari, and Valsad.
National issues dominate
The BJP-led NDA and the INDIA bloc have fiercely exchanged accusations on issues like reservations and sexual harassment charges against JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna.
Congress response
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have focused on social justice, unemployment, and “injustice” to farmers. The party has also criticized the BJP over allegations against Prajwal Revanna.
Political landscape
As the Lok Sabha elections progress, the political landscape continues to evolve, with each phase bringing its own set of challenges and opportunities for the contesting parties.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge along with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra focused on issues of social justice, unemployment, “injustice” to farmers and alleged favourable treatment to select businessmen.
The BJP leaders targeted the Congress over wealth redistribution and inheritance tax issues and accused it of pursuing appeasement politics, while Rahul Gandhi reiterated Congress’ commitment to conduct a caste census and economic survey if voted to power.
2019 elections
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had swept all the 14 seats in Karnataka, defeating Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state then.
In Gujarat, BJP’s Mukesh Dalal has already won from Surat unopposed after the nomination of Congress’ Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected over irregularities in the signature of proposers and other candidates withdrew. The party had swept all 26 seats in 2019.
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP had bagged nine seats and Congress two seats out of the total 11 in 2019.
This year’s elections
In Assam, the BJP has put up only one candidate in this phase for the Guwahati seat, while its alliance partners AGP are contesting in two – Dhubri and Barpeta – and the UPPL in Kokrajhar.
The Congress and the Voters Party International (VPI) are fighting in all four seats, while the BPF, the Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Gana Parishad, SUCI(C) and Republican Party of India (Athawale) are contesting in two each.
The AIUDF, CPI(M), Gana Suraksha Party, Hindu Samaj Party, Asom Jana Morcha, National Road Map Party of India , Rashtriya Ulema Council, Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal and Bahujan Maha Party are contesting in one seat each while 16 independents are also in the fray.
Final phases ahead
After the third phase, voting will be completed in 283 out of 543 seats in Lok Sabha. The next four phases are scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with the counting of votes set for June 4.
(With inputs from agencies)
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