New Delhi: The electoral landscape is set to witness a significant event on April 19, as 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union territories gear up for the first phase of elections. Campaigning activities for the first phase of the elections ended on Wednesday. This pivotal day will determine the political destinies of eight Union ministers, two ex-chief ministers, and a former governor.
In Nagpur, Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is vying for his third consecutive victory. His previous triumphs include a substantial win over seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar in 2014 and a victory against Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole in 2019.
Kiren Rijiju, the Union minister, is campaigning for the Arunachal West seat, a constituency he has served since 2004. His primary opponent is Nabam Tuki, the former chief minister and current head of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress.
From Assam’s Dibrugarh, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbanada Sonowal is making a bid to re-enter the Lok Sabha. Sonowal, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, was chosen over Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli.
The complex caste dynamics of Muzaffarnagar are on full display as it hosts a triangular contest. Union minister Sanjeev Baliyan faces off against Samajwadi Party’s Harindra Malik and BSP’s Dara Singh Prajapati.
Jitendra Singh, a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, is pursuing a third term in Udhampur, while Bhupendra Yadav, a Union minister and Rajya Sabha member, challenges sitting Congress MLA Lalit Yadav in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union Law Minister, is contesting against former Congress minister Govind Ram Meghwal for the Bikaner parliamentary seat in Rajasthan.
A closely watched contest is unfolding in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency, where incumbent DMK MP A Raja is up against BJP’s L Murugan, the Union Minister of State for Fisheries.
Karti Chidambaram, the Sivaganga MP, seeks re-election in a seat historically won by his father, facing BJP’s T Devanathan Yadav and AIADMK’s Xavier Dass.
In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai is competing against DMK’s Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK’s Singai Ramachandran.
Tamilisai Soundararajan, who stepped down as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry, is running for the Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. She previously contested against DMK’s Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi in 2019.
Kanimozhi herself is campaigning for re-election, with NDA ally Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) nominating SDR Vijayaseelan and AIADMK selecting R Sivasami Velumani as their candidates.
Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking to retain his seat in Chhindwara, a stronghold for his family.
In Tripura, the West Tripura constituency is set for an intense battle between former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha.
Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha and son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, is contesting from Jorhat in Assam, following a delimitation exercise that affected his previous constituency, Kaliabor.
Basanta Kumar Singh, Manipur’s Law and Education Minister, is the BJP candidate for the Inner Manipur constituency, facing Congress’ Bimal Akoijam.
Churu, a BJP stronghold in northern Rajasthan, is preparing for a notable contest between BJP’s Devendra Jhajharia, a celebrated Paralympic gold medallist, and Congress’ Rahul Kaswan, a recent defector from the BJP.
Meanwhile, campaigning activities ended on Wednesday for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. The closing hours saw intensified efforts by the NDA, spearheaded by the BJP, and the Opposition’s INDIA bloc to sway the electorate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the campaign’s final stretch with extensive tours, rallying support with promises of hope, trust, and guarantees reflective of his terms in 2014, 2019, and the current year. Modi’s narrative emphasised a nationwide commitment to fulfilling these guarantees.
Top BJP figures, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, alongside Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, vigorously campaigned for their party candidates.
The BJP’s campaign rhetoric targeted the INDIA bloc, accusing them of corruption, nepotism, and disrespect towards the Constitution and Hinduism. Conversely, the Opposition criticised the ruling party for issues such as electoral bonds, alleged agency misuse, inflation, and unemployment.
The 2019 elections saw the UPA secure 45 seats and the NDA 41 out of the 102 contested, with six seats recently redefined through delimitation.
Voting will occur in all seats of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, and Lakshadweep. Additional polling will take place in select seats of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.
Election authorities have mandated the absence of non-local individuals and barred all campaigning activities within these constituencies 48 hours prior to polling.
The first phase will also see voting in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected Bastar, following a significant counter-insurgency operation.
The subsequent phase, involving 89 seats across 13 states and Union territories, is slated for April 26.
The seven-phase polling process will ultimately fill the 543 seats of the 18th Lok Sabha, with the final count scheduled for June 4.