Lok Sabha Polls: BJP has a lot to defend in the third phase of voting

Lok Sabha Polls: The seats which will go to polls on May 7 are the strongest for BJP.

In the third phase of polling, fate of candidates in 93 Lok Sabha seats spread across 11 states and union territories will be decided. This includes Betul Lok Sabha seat where the polls were shifted to the third phase due to the death of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party’s candidate. It is important to note that voting in J&K 's Anantnag-Rajouri Constituency will now take place in the sixth phase, on May 25. The seats which will go to polls today are the strongest for the BJP as it had won in 73 seats with a whopping vote share of 48%, nearly 11% higher compared to its average vote share of 37% in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While its allies would be defending eight Lok Sabha seats which it had won in 2019.

On the other hand, Congress had won only 3 and its allies 4 Lok Sabha seats of the 93 which goes to poll today. Congress’s vote share stands at about 25% in these seats almost six percent higher compared to its average vote share of 19% in 2019. This is mainly because this phase is witnessing voting in 25 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, (BJP candidate from Surat Lok Sabha seat has already been declared winner unopposed), where BJP has a massive vote share of 62% against Congress’s vote share of 32%.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 14 seats in Karnataka

Karnataka’s 14 Lok Sabha seats will also exercise their franchise, all of which has been held by the BJP with 52% of the popular votes against Congress’s vote share of 32%. While BJP could be confident, but defending these constituencies would be a challenge.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 25 seats in Gujarat 

It is a crucial phase for the BJP, as it would have to defend its 73 seats. The home turf of the BJP, Gujarat, goes to poll in this phase where it has to defend 25 of 26 Lok Sabha seats (BJP candidate Mukesh Dalai, from Surat Lok Sabha seat has already been declared winner unopposed). The Lok Sabha seats of Gandhinagar, a key constituency, is fought by incumbent Union Home Minister Amit Shah and was earlier the seat of BJP stalwarts like LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The tribal constituency of Bharuch is also an important one, and the seat will see a representation by AAP under the INDIA Alliance. One of the key constituencies in Karnataka where voting will take place for 14 Lok Sabha seat is Haveri, Basvaraj Bammai, the former Chief Minister will contest for the BJP. Son of BS Yediyurappa, BY Raghavendra is contesting from the Shimoga constituency. Current Union Minister of Coal, and sitting MP from Dharwad, Prahlad Joshi, is also in the fray.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 11 seats in Maharashtra  

In Maharashtra, of the 11 seats that goes to poll, the INDIA Alliance would have to defend 6 seats while the NDA would have to defend 5. The Baramati Lok Sabha seat would see the rivalry between Supriya Sule from the NCP (SP), and Sunetra Pawar of the NCP, wife of Ajit Pawar. The tussle between incumbent MP Vinayak Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT), and Union Minister Narayan Rane of the BJP would be seen in the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 9 seats in MP

In Madhya Pradesh, of the 9 seats that will vote, (including the Betul constituency from the 2nd phase), the BJP would have to defend all of the 9 seats. Of these, the Vidisha constituency is of key significance, as BJP has fielded former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan against former MP of Vidisha during 1980, Pratap Bhanu Sharma of the Congress. In Guna constituency it will be Jyotiraditya Scindia from the BJP fielded against Rao Yadevendra Singh of the Congress, who left the BJP in 2023 to join INC. From the Rajgarh constituency, Congress has fielded Digvijaya Singh, the current Rajya Sabha MP, against the sitting MP, Rodmal Nagar of the BJP.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 10 seats in UP

In Uttar Pradesh, of the 10 constituencies, Samajwadi Party has to defend its two seats, Mainpuri and Sambhal, while BJP has to defend 8 seats in the state. This phase in UP sees a shift from the Jaat belt to the Yadav-Muslim intricacies and other OBC belts. The Mainpuri constituency would be contested by Dimple Yadav of SP, the incumbent MP and wife of Akhilesh Yadav, against BJP’s Jaiveer Singh, and BSP’s Shiv Prasad Yadav.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting for 4 seats in WB 

In West Bengal’s four seats, the Trinamool Congress has to defend two of its seats from Jangipur and Murshidabad, while the BJP has to defend its seat in Malda Uttar and Congress would be defending Malda Dakshin Lok Sabha seat, its bastion in Bengal. From Murshidabad constituency it will be Md Salim, a two-time MP from Raiganj, versus the State Secretary of the CPI(M), while the Dakshin Malda has been the turf for INC candidate Isha Khan Choudhury’s father Abu Hasen Khan Choudhury.

Issues are redundant throughout the election campaigning, but the end of the 2nd phase saw a visible change in the electoral campaign of the BJP with direct references to the Muslim community, reference to Congress plot to transfer wealth to the Muslims in the BJP rallies. While for the opposition it has mostly been the rebuttal campaign from Malikarjun Kharge requesting a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify the contexts of “Congress’s Nyay Patra” or its manifesto.