Lok Sabha Polls Phase-1: Who Is Voting And What Is At Stake? (image-X/ECI)Out of the seven phases, the first phase of India’s Lok Sabha elections will be held on April 19. Out of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, or the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the party or coalition that secures the majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha will form the next government of the nation.
With around 969 million registered voters and over 5.5 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 are the world’s largest ever democratic event. Although there are numerous national and regional political parties, the primary contenders are two coalitions: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA Alliance, comprising 26 parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC).
The votes will be counted and announced on June 4.
The voting process for phase 1 will begin at 7 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. The first phase covers 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and union territories. Below is a list of all the constituencies that will be voting on April 19.
- Tamil Nadu: All 39 seats
- Rajasthan: Twelve out of the 25 seats
- Uttar Pradesh: Eight out of the 80 seats
- Madhya Pradesh: Six out of the 29 seats
- Maharashtra: Five out of the 48 seats
- Uttarakhand: All five of the seats
- Assam: Five out of the 14 seats
- Bihar: Four out of the 40 seats
- West Bengal: Three out of the 42 seats
- Arunachal Pradesh: Both of the state’s two seats
- Manipur: Both of the two seats
- Meghalaya: Both of the two seats
- Chhattisgarh: One out of the 11 seats
- Mizoram: The state’s sole seat
- Nagaland: The state’s sole seat
- Sikkim: The state’s sole seat
- Tripura: One out of the two seats
- Jammu and Kashmir: One out of five seats
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The union territory’s sole seat
- Lakshadweep: The union territory’s sole seat
- Puducherry: The union territory’s sole seat
Key Constituencies And Their Candidates
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) – Historically, the BJP has been unable to establish itself in the state of Tamil Nadu. For instance, in 2019, the party won zero out of the 39 states. However, the saffron party has placed all its bets on the popularity of its youngest leader to establish itself in the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu. Known as “Singham Anna,” K. Annamalai will be contesting the elections on the BJP ticket. The BJP’s state leader will be facing Ganapathy P. Rajkumar from the DMK and Singai Ramachandran from the AIADMK. The main goal of the two Dravidian parties will be to defeat Annamali.
Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu) – Another surprise win for the BJP could be former RSS member L. Murugan, the Union Minister for Fisheries in Tamil Nadu. However, a formidable opponent lies in DMK’s A. Raja, the incumbent MP and former telecom minister, who enjoys a loyal voter base in the SC reserved constituency.
Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) – Poet, orator, and renowned face in the state’s politics, DMK’s Kanimozhi is seeking re-election from the Thoothukudi seat. Known for being vocal against gender discrimination and violence against women, Kanimozhi is the face of the DMK. Against her are AIADMK’s R. Sivasami Velumani and SDR Vijayaseelan, who has been nominated by NDA ally Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar).
Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu) – Another key candidate aiming for re-election is incumbent MP Karti Chidambaram of Congress. Sivaganga is a Lok Sabha seat that his renowned father, P. Chidambaram, has won over seven times. BJP has fielded Chennai-based businessman and owner of the WinTv group, T. Devanathan Yadav, while AIADMK has nominated Xavier Dass.
Chennai South (TN) – The recently resigned governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Tamilisai Soundararajan, from the BJP is all set to make her comeback to electoral politics. She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Anantha. Notably, Ms. Soundararajan faced defeat in the 2019 elections by a huge margin against DMK’s Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi. This time, Ms. Soundararajan is pitted against Tamil poet, DMK candidate, and sitting MP Thamizhachi Thangapandia and AIADMK’s Dr. J. Jayavardhan, who was elected as the MP from the constituency in 2014.
Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh) – Son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, Nakul Nath, has been fielded from Chhindwara, seeking re-election. Kamal Nath has won the seas nine times since 1980. In the 2019 elections, the BJP was not able to secure victory over Chhindwara, the only seat the party lost. Nakul Nath surpassed the BJP candidate by over 37,000 votes, emerging as the sole Congress MP in Madhya Pradesh.
Nagpur (Maharashtra) – Road Transport and Highways Minister and veteran BJP leader Nitin Gadkari is aiming for a hat-trick win in Nagpur. The former RSS member and former two-time BJP state president will be facing Nagpur Congress president and MLA Vikas Thakre. Congress believes the grassroots connections of Thakre could significantly sway the minority vote in his favor. Could Thakre’s strong local connection be enough to defeat Gadkari’s seemingly comfortable win?
Arunachal West (Arunachal Pradesh) – Union Minister Kiren Rijiju from the BJP will contest from the constituency. He has previously represented Arunachal West three times since 2004. His rival is Congress’ Nabam Tuki, former chief minister and current president of the party’s state unit.
Jorhat (Assam) – Son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Gaurav Gogoi, has been fielded as the Congress candidate from Jorhat. The Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha is the current MP from Kaliabor constituency, where he won in 2014. He will face the BJP’s Topon Kumar Gogoi, the sitting MP from Jorhat.
Dibrugarh (Assam) – BJP’s Sarbanada Sonowal is seeking a return to the Lok Sabha from the constituency. Sonowal is a Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways as well as a Rajya Sabha member.
West Tripura (Tripura) – An intense clash is expected between former chief minister and BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and the state president of Congress, Ashish Kumar Saha. Mr. Deb is known to be a controversial figure who often makes headlines for his statements.
Inner Manipur (Manipur) – Manipur is a key state, with elections being held in the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis within the state. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence that has claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands since May 2023. Many have blamed the state’s BJP government for its failure to prevent and stop the violence. JNU professor and Congress candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam will be facing the BJP’s Basanta Kumar Singh, Manipur Law and Education Minister. Notably, Singh belongs to the Meiti community and is the son of Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, a former Union Minister in the Vajpayee cabinet.
Churu (Rajasthan) – An interesting contest will be witnessed in BJP stronghold Churu, where two-time Paralympic gold medalist javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia from the BJP is pitted against Rahul Kaswan from Congress. Notably, Kaswan quit the BJP in March after being denied a ticket.
Bikaner (Rajasthan) – Former Congress minister Govind Ram Meghwl will face Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwl from the BJP in the Bikaner constituency of Rajasthan.
Alwar (Rajasthan) – Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Bhupendra Yadav from the BJP will face Congress candidate Lalit Yadav. Yadav belongs to Alwar district’s Matsya region. He also has significant support from the Yadav community in the region.
Gaya (Bihar) – Another notable clash will occur in Gaya constituency between RJD’s Kumar Sarvjeet and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S). Interestingly, Manjhi was defeated in 1991 from the same constituency by Sarvjeet’s father, Rajesh Kumar. The Gaya constituency is expected to be influenced by caste politics.
Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) – The region is known for anti-Muslim riots and its caste dynamics. Although it has a substantial Muslim population, the BJP has been able to gain victory by consolidating Hindu votes. A triangular contest will take place here between Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan from the BJP, Samajwadi Party’s Harindra Malik, and Dara Singh Prajapati from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The second phase of the elections will be held on April 26.