LS polls phase 4: 96 seats go to polls on May 13
New Delhi, May 11 :
India is gearing up for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 13. So far, voting has taken place in 285 constituencies since April 19. The voter turnout in the last phase stood at 64.4 per cent, the lowest compared to the preceding phases (66.14 per cent and 66.71 per cent, respectively). Uttar Pradesh recorded the lowest turnout, while Assam saw the highest.
In the fourth phase, 96 seats across 10 States and Union Territories (UT) will go to polls. This includes the entire regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, this phase marks the commencement of polling in Jharkhand and Odi- sha. Andhra Pradesh will also conduct Assembly elections on May 13.
Which States will go to polls in phase 4 of Lok Sabha polls?
1) Andhra Pradesh: 25 out of 25 seats
2) Bihar: Five out of 40 seats
3) Jharkhand: Four out of 14 seats
4) Madhya Pradesh: Eight out of 29 seats
5) Maharashtra: 11 out of 48 seats
6) Odisha: Four out of 21 constituencies
7) Telangana: 17 out of 17 seats
8) Uttar Pradesh: 13 out of 80 seats
9) West Bengal: Eight out of 42 seats
10)Jammu and Kashmir: One out of five seats
Key candidates and constituencies in Phase 4 Lok Sabha elections:
1) Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj): Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, is set to contest the upcoming polls from the Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The seat is presently occupied by Subrata Pathak of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the 2019 elections, Pathak clinched victory by defeating Yadav's wife, Dimple.
2) Mahua Moitra (Krishnanagar): Mahua Moitra, a prominent leader of the Trinamool Congress from Krishnanagar, faces the challenge of re-entering Parliament after her suspension last year due to her involvement in a cash-for-query case. The controversy surrounds allegations of unethical conduct related to parliamentary queries, purportedly in exchange for financial benefits. Moitra, who secured this parliamentary seat for the first time in 2019, aims to redeem her reputation with a huge victory this time. She will face BJP candidate Amrita Roy, who hails from the Krishna-nagar Royal family.
3) Baharampur: The Baharampur constituency in West Bengal is also poised for a significant contest. Here, the Congress and the TMC, allies in the Opposition's INDIA bloc, will compete against each other. Following a deadlock in seat-sharing negotiations, the TMC opted to nominate former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan as its candidate from this constituency. Pathan will aim to unseat the incumbent MP and senior Congress leader, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
4) Begusarai: In Begusarai, Bihar, the political spotlight is on the incumbent BJP heavyweight and Union minister, Giriraj Singh, who seeks re-election. On the other hand, the Opposition has united to field a joint candidate, with the CPI leading the charge and receiving support from the Congress, RJD, and other Left parties. In the previous election in 2019, Singh emerged victorious against CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. This year, the CPI has nominated its former MLA, Awadhesh Rai, as the joint candidate.
5) Kadapa (Andhra): The high-profile Lok Sabha constituency is embroiled in a familial feud.
On this seat, former Andhra CM YSR's daughter and state Congress president, YS Sharmila, is pitted against her cousin, Y S Avinash Reddy, a two-time incumbent MP, running on a ticket from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). The YSRCP is headed by Sharmila’s brother and current Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. Sharmila joined the Congress earlier this year. She parted ways with her brother politically in July 2021 and subsequently established her own political outfit, the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP).
6) Asansol: Sitting BJP MP from Bardhaman-Durgapur, SS Ahluwalia, has been chosen as the party’s candidate from Asansol. Ahluwalia replaced the candidature of actor-singer Pawan Singh, who withdrew his nomination after the TMC flagged his songs as misogynistic. In this seat, the TMC has placed its bet on actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha, the incumbent MP from the constituency.
7) Hyderabad:All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi will hope to retain his Hyderabad constituency in the coming voting phase. Here, the BJP has fielded actor turned politician Madhavi Lata as its candidate. Business Standard