India decided the fate of candidates for 71 seats in today’s Phase 4 of voting. Today was an important phase of voting for the BJP as it defends 45 seats it won in 2014.
The where voting was held included Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Bihar. The results will be announced on 23 May.
Key seats with high political stakes in Phase IV of polls
Lok Sabha seat: Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh
Key candidates: Dimple Yadav (SP); Subrat Pathak (BJP)
Dimple Yadav (SP) is the wife of former CM Akhilesh Yadav and is contesting the seat for the second term. From 1999, Kannauj has voted for the Yadav clan. In 1999, the people voted for Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP); 2000 Akhilesh Yadav (SP); 2004 Akhilesh Yadav (SP); 2009 Dimple Yadav (SP); 2014 Dimple Yadav (SP).
BJP candidate Subrat Pathak fought the 2009 elections and won the third highest votes with 20.33 percent share. In 2014, Pathak lost narrowly to Dimple Yadav by 19,907 votes with a vote share of 42.11 percent against Dimple’s 43.89 percent share.
Has Subrat Pathak bridged the gap with Dimple Yadav in 2019 or have the people once again placed their faith with the Yadav family?
Lok Sabha seat: Mumbai South, Maharashtra
Key candidates: Milind Deora (Cong); Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena)
Milind Deora’s father Murli Deora (Cong) has won the seat in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1998. Milind Deora (Cong) won the seat in 2004 and 2009. Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) won the seat in 2014 winning 48.04 percent vote share against Milind Deora’s 31.55 percent. Milind Deora attracted a lot of attention when businessman Mukesh Ambani publicly endorsed Milind Deora has the favoured choice from the constituency.
Lok Sabha seat: Kendrapara, Odisha
Key candidates: Baijayant Panda (BJP); Anubhav Mohanty (BJD)
Kendrapara voted for Baijayant Panda (then BJD) in 2009 and 2014. This year ‘Jay’ Panda, as he is popularly known, faces actor and Rajya Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty (BJD).
This is an interesting fight since Jay shifted loyalty to BJP this year and CM Biju Patnaik wants BJD to win this seat to make a point his party remains the people’s choice against an aggressive BJP in the state.
Lok Sabha seat: Begusarai, Bihar
Key candidates: Kanhaiya Kumar (CPI); Giriraj Singh (BJP); Tanveer Hassan (RJD)
Begusarai has just witnessed a three-cornered contest between a rising star in Kanhaiya Kumar, an old workhorse in Giriraj Singh of BJP and Tanveer Hassan of the RJD. Kanhaiya Kumar is likely to pull in a lot of the youth and first-time voters, Giriraj Singh is reluctantly contesting this seat, and it’s unclear if he has managed to build a support base for himself in this constituency.
The constituency voted for Dr. Bhola Singh (BJP) in 2014, but the party faces an uphill task with Tanveer Hassan expected to eat away votes from both BJP and CPI.
Lok Sabha seat: Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Key candidates: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (BJP); Vaibhav Gehlot (Cong)
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and close aide of BJP party president Amit Shah won the 2014 elections cornering 66.08 percent vote share against the Cong candidate Chandresh Kumari Katoch’s 28.10 percent.
Shekhawat faces Vaibhav Gehlot, Rajasthan CM’s Ashok Gehlot’s son. Jodhpur has been a stronghold of Ashok Gehlot voting for him in 1980, 1984, 1991, 1996, and 1998 before losing the seat to BJP. The constituency has been held by the BJP in 1989, 1999, 2004, and again in 2014 when it voted for Shekhawat.
Vaibhav Gehlot (Cong) has a point to prove especially since the Congress has won the recent assembly elections while Union Minister Shekhawat is fighting for prestige.
Lok Sabha seat: Mumbai North Central, Maharashtra
Key candidates: Poonam Mahajan (BJP); Priya Dutt (Cong)
Since 1984, Mumbai North Central has been witnessing contests between Shiv Sena and the Congress. In 2014, the constituency decisively voted in favour of Poonam Mahajan (BJP). She beat Priya Dutt (Cong) by 186,771 votes representing 56.60 percent against Priya Dutt’s 34.51 percent.
Priya Dutt remains a popular figure among people of this constituency, so the contest is expected to be an interesting contest between the two ladies.
