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The constituencies include 13 seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, followed by nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand, and one in Chandigarh. Additionally, elections for 42 Assembly seats in Odisha are scheduled to take place.
In addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi, other notable BJP candidates for the final phase include Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib, Bihar, and Kangana Ranaut from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Representing the Congress are Manish Tewari from Chandigarh, Vikramaditya Singh from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, and Ajay Rai from Varanasi, among others. Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's fate will also be sealed on June 1.
Key battles and candidates:
PM Modi vs Ajay Rai (Varanasi)
As the election season is nearing an end on June 1, all eyes are on Varanasi, the ancient city that the BJP claims has had its "golden decade" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its MP. Against the PM is Congress' Ajai Rai. In 2019 polls, PM Modi secured victory with a significant margin of 479,505 votes, garnering 674,664 votes compared to Shalini Yadav of the SP, who received 195,159 votes.
In Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's home turf, Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Ravi Kishan of the BJP will be up against Bhojpuri actress Kajal Nishad of the SP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP's Ravi Kishan emerged victorious over SP's Rambhual Nishad. SP hopes to secure Nishad and Yadav-Muslim votes by fielding Kajal Nishad. The Goraknath Temple, where Yogi remains the chief priest, continues to be a focal point of interest for all.
Vikramaditya Singh vs. Kangana Ranaut (Mandi)
Clash of the two richest titans, a celebrity and a 'royal', is on the cards in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, known for electing erstwhile 'royals' maximum number of times. Popular Bollywood actress, Kangana Ranuat, will be debuting in the political arena with her first Lok Sabha polls on a ticket by BJP.
The actor will fight against Vikramaditya Singh, scion of the erstwhile Rampur "royal family" and son of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
The Diamond Harbour poll battleground will observe an intense dynamic in West Bengal's political landscape where the TMC, led by its de facto number two Abhishek Banerjee, touts the seat as a 'model constituency' while the opposition paints it as a 'laboratory of violence'. Nephew to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek at a poll rally hoped for a victory surpassing his margins for the previous two terms. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee strengthened his hold on Diamond Harbour, defeating BJP by a staggering margin of 3.2 lakh votes. The 2021 assembly elections further solidified TMC's dominance, with all seven assembly segments under the constituency falling under TMC's control.
Anurag Thakur (Hamirpur)
The parliamentary constituency will see Bhartiya Janata Party's Anurag Thakur against Congress' Satpal Singh Raizada. The Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency is a stronghold of the BJP. Union Minister Anurag Thakur has consistently won this seat three times. Before him, his father and former chief minister of the state, Prem Kumar Dhumal, has also been a three-term parliamentarian.
Misa Bharti vs. Ram Kripal Yadav (Pataliputra)
Patliputra, a Lok Sabha seat carved out of Patna after the 2008 delimitation exercise, has ecthe Lalu Prasad family since it came into existence. RJD patriarch Lalu failed to win from the seat in 2009 and his eldest daughter Misa Bharti lost in 2014 and 2019 elections. BJP candidate Kripal claims he has the support of all castes and communities, and banks on Modi’s popularity.
The Union Territory will see an intense clash between Congress' Manish Tewari, a two-time MP and former Union Minister and BJP's Sanjay Tandon. The 18th Lok Sabha polls holds special significance for Tewari as it marks a homecoming since the 2009 polls. For BJP's Sanjay Tandon, the journey of getting a party ticket for the polls was not easy. In 2014, he was the frontrunner for the candidacy but the seat was given to Kirron Kher instead.
Taranjit Singh Sandhu (Amritsar)
Once a diplomat, Taranjit Singh Sandhu who recently turned into a politician will be contesting from Amritsar for BJP. The saffron party has not won the Amritsar Lok Sabha since 2014, and this time the party has fielded Sandhu, a panthic (connected to Sikhism), in this constituency, which includes Darbar Sahib, the holiest site of Sikhs.
Preneet Kaur (Patiala)
BJP will be banking on Preneet Kaur for its electoral success in Punjab. One of the strong candidate for BJP in the state is Preneet Kaur from Patiala. She is the wife of former chief minister Capt. Amarinder SIngh who had joined the BJP last year.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Bathinda)
Shiromani Akali Dal MP and candidate from Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, Harsimrat Kaur Badal exuded confidence in winning the general elections with a larger margin as compared to the previous elections. Key candidates for the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency include Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD), Jeet Mohinder Singh (Congress), Gurmeet Singh Khudian (AAP) and former IAS officer Parampal Kaur Sidhu from the BJP.
Amritpal Singh:
Amritpal Singh, currently lodged in a Assam jail, is chief of the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit. He is fighting from the Khadoor Sahib seat in Punjab as an independent canidate. Amritpal along with nine of his associates is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act.
The votes will be counted on June 4.
(with agency inputs)
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