Insights To Lok Sabha Elections Phase Five: Raebareli, Amethi To Be Sealed With Other Key Seats
The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held on Monday, May 20, will cover a total of 695 candidates across six states and union territories. This phase will be the smallest considering the number of constituencies going to the polling booths in all seven phases. Notably, the fate of the star campaigners of major political parties such as BJP’s Smriti Irani, and Congress’ Rahul Gandhi will be sealed during this phase.
As the general elections nears the final phases, with two more phases left, the political parties’ campaigning is in full fledge, trying to win the people’s mandate. The final two phases are to be held on May 25 and June 1, and the wait for the result of the world’s largest democratic exercise will be ended by June 4.
The voting will be held in 49 constituencies across Maharashtra, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The latest phase covers important constituencies and candidates that include ministers, MPs and other key political figures.
Raebareli, the traditional Gandhi stronghold will go to the polling booth, with Rahul Gandhi contesting from the lone seat the Congress retained by Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from a state with India’s largest population and Lok Sabha constituencies.
Lok Sabha Elections Phase Five On Monday: Raebareli, Amethi To Be Sealed With Other Key Seats
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who wrested the traditional Congress citadel, Amethi by defeating then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 general elections, will undergo the test to retain the seat. All eyes are set on these two constituencies in the fifth phase of the electoral battle.
The other key candidates who seek people”s mandate in the fifth phase include Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, controversial Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh”s son Karan Bhushan Singh, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, the debut candidature of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, RJD supreme Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya, LJP National President Chirag Paswan and actor-turned-politician Bhushan Patil against Piyush Goyal.
Uttar Pradesh with the largest 80 constituencies will vote for 14 seats, while Maharashtra, with the second largest number of constituencies, will use their franchises for 13 constituencies.
West Bengal will vote for seven constituencies out of the total 42, while Bihar will cast votes for five constituencies out of the 40. Five constituencies out of the total 21 in Odisha will cast their votes and three candidates from Jharkhand. In addition, the two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will also vote for one seat for each.
The race for power at the centre is mainly held between the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the ruling BJP-led NDA alliance. In Uttar Pradesh across the major political players including Congress BJP, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the SP has allied with the INDIA bloc.
In Maharashtra, the major member of the Congress-led INDIA bloc is the Uddhav Thackara-led Shiv Sena UBT, while the NDA has the support of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. In Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) constitutes the major member of the INDI alliance from the regional player, while the NDA’s major allies are JD (U) and Lok Janshakti Party. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that her Trinamool Congress party will be part of the INDIA bloc, though her party fielded independently in the Lok Sabha elections.
Key constituencies and candidates
Lok Sabha Elections Phase Five On Monday: Raebareli, Amethi To Be Sealed With Other Key Seats
Amethi: BJP’s Smriti Iran Vs Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma Vs BSP’s Nanhe Singh Chauhan
The former Congress fortress represented by the members from the Gandhi family till the 2019 general elections, Amethi has been a political hotspot in the country. A constituency that the Congress leader represented from 2004 to 2019, the seat has been put in suspense as to whether Rahul Gandhi take the challenge posed by Union Minister Smriti Irani.
The three-time former Amethi MP lost the seat to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, the grand old party has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi from the seat. Rahul Gandhi had been re-elected with more than two lakh majority in the 2009 general elections.
In 2014, BJP pitched Smriti Iran against the Congress leader and subsequently, she could give a tough battle reducing the Congress leader’s majority to one lakh while improving the saffron party’s performance. In 2019, the then Rajya Sabha MP and Union Minister wrested the seat from Gandhi’s hold with a margin of 9,42,956 votes. However, it is to be tested whether the BJP candidate can retain her sitting seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BSP, which had not contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, has insignificant vote share in the past few general elections.
Raebareli: Congress’ Rahul Gandhi Vs BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh Vs BSP’s Thakur Prasad Yadav
Raebareli, another bastion of the Gandhi family that boasts the successful candidatures of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been held by Sonia Gandhi till her shifting to Rajya Sabha in February this year.
It is considered to be a bastion of the Indian National Congress. From 1967 to 1977, the seat was held by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and from 2004 until her appointment to the Rajya Sabha in 2024, by Sonia Gandhi. Notably, much like Amethi, Raebareli has also seen a significant surge in the vote share of the saffron party over the past two general elections. In 2019, the BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh came second, securing 38 per cent votes, a 17-percentage increase from the 2014 general elections.
Notably, analysts attribute the political change across Uttar Pradesh to the change in voters’ behaviours towards the grand old party. The defections of many local leaders including members from Congress, SP and BSP have strengthened the BJP’s influence even in Raebareli. However, with Sonia Gandhi leaving electoral politics by choosing Rajya Sabha representation, the party has fielded its star campaigner Rahul Gandhi from the seat. He will have to face the BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh whom the party fielded in 2019 too.
Lucknow: BJP’s Rajnath Singh Vs SP’s Ravidas Mehrotra
Lucknow, a traditional stronghold of BJP since the former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee won the seat in 1991, is analysed to witness a tough battle this time. The SP’s joining of the INDIA bloc has posed a significant threat to the BJP’s prospects in the ongoing general elections.
The former Prime Minister’s consecutive five-time seat has been represented by the BJP veteran Rajnath Singh since 2014. As the Union Defence Minister is vying for his hattrick, the INDIA bloc member SP has fielded local leader and former State Minister Ravidas Mehrotra against the BJP stalwart.
The nomination of the SP’s influential leader is learnt to pose a challenge to the persistent victory of the saffron party since 1991 to date from the city of Nawab. The alliance with Congress has further strengthened the prospects of the SP candidate. The party chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has also addressed public meetings as part of its aggressive campaigns to wrest the seat from the BJP.
Kaiserganj: BJP’s Karan Bhushan Singh Vs SP’s Ram Bhagat Mishra Vs BSP’s Narendra Pandey
Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency drew national attention when the BJP’s sitting MP Brij Bhushan faced sexual harassment allegations from the country’s top wrestlers. The BJP leader was removed as the president of the Wrestlers Federation of India following the allegations.
However, wary of criticism, the saffron party replaced the controversial incumbent candidate with his son Karan Bhushan Singh, Brij Bhushan has been representing the seat since 2009, and he has also strengthened his vote shares over his decade-long representation. With BJP dropping him and nominating his son and Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association president, the opposition has slammed the candidature, terming it dynastic politics and also a support for the sexual harassment accused’s family.
Karan Bhushan Singh’s candidature had also been questioned by the protesting wrestlers including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. However, the SP has pitched Ram Bhagat Mishra against Brij Bhushan’s son with the support of the Congress party. Given the rising criticism, the BJP candidate has learnt to face tough battle, despite support from the family’s traditional vote bank.
Mumbai North: BJP’s Piyush Goyal Vs Congress’ Bhushan Patil
Another strategic constituency in the fifth phase is Mumbai North. BJP’s Piyush Goyal is vying for his debut contest from the seat. Mumbai North, a seat that has seen the BJP surging since 2014, is all set to witness a closer fight this time as Congress pitched the actor-turned-politician Bhushan Patil against the Union Minister.
Notably, the BJP candidate has been facing the challenges emanating from his label of being an outsider. The Congress candidate is banking on being a native and “Bhoomi Putra” (son of the soil). Congress’Sanjay Nirupam was elected from the seat in 2009. Then the BJP’s Gopal Shetty consecutively won the seat in 2014 and 19, with a more than four lakh majority each time.
The other key constituencies include Saran, which would see the fight between INDIA bloc member RJD candidate Rohini Acharya and the BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy. Notably, the NDA ally LJP has fielded the party chief Chirag Paswan against RLD’s Shiv Chandra Ram. Both the constituencies turned out to be a fierce battleground between the two parties, representing the two major alliances.
