Voting is underway today in 93 constituencies spanning across 11 states and Union Territories for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections-2024. The stakes are notably high for the ruling BJP, given their significant wins on these seats during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which propelled the NDA to a commanding majority.
This phase sees over 1,300 candidates, with approximately 120 women, competing for seats in the lower house of Parliament. The electoral fate of prominent figures like Union ministers Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Mansukh Mandaviya, along with former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Vidisha) and Digvijaya Singh (Rajgarh), will be decided on May 7.
Additionally, key BJP candidates in this phase include Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad), and SP Singh Baghel (Agra).
With the BJP securing Surat without contest, the forthcoming elections will determine the fate of the remaining 25 seats in Gujarat, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 out of 28 in Karnataka, seven in Chhattisgarh, five in Bihar, four each in Assam and West Bengal, and the full two in Goa during the third phase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah are slated to exercise their voting rights in Ahmedabad.
Pawar family braces for a showdown
A fierce electoral battle is set to unfold in Maharashtra's Baramati as the Pawar family, divided by internal rifts, braces for a showdown. Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, will face off against Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Ajit Pawar, the estranged nephew of the veteran leader and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister.
3 members of Mulayam Singh's family in fray
The third phase holds significance for the late Mulayam Singh Yadav's family, with three of its members contesting. Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav, is among them.
Akshay Yadav, son of senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, aims to reclaim the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat, previously won in 2014.
Aditya Yadav, son of SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, is entering the electoral arena for the first time, contesting from the Budaun Lok Sabha seat, previously held by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav in 2014.
Adding to the electoral mix are former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal, whose fates will be determined on May 7.
An estimated 17.24 crore people, including 8.39 crore females, are eligible to vote across the country, with 1.85 lakh polling stations staffed by 18.5 lakh officials.
Voting for 189 seats out of the total 543 seats was completed in the first two phases. The subsequent four phases are scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with vote counting set for June 4.
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