Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha Election Phase 2: Key constituencies and candidates

Damoh is set for a Lodhi versus Lodhi battle on April 26 as the Congress has fieled Tarvar Singh Lodhi (L) against BJP's Rahul Lodhi. (Courtesy: Facebook & X)

Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections will take place across 89 constituencies on April 26. Madhya Pradesh, which is voting in four phases, will see seven constituencies going to polls in the second one - Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul.

Of the total 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, elections were held in six including Chhindwara, Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla and Balaghat. A voter turnout of 67.75% was recorded across the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in the first phase, held on April 19. According to MP chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan, the final average figure of the first phase polling was 7.32 percentage points lesser compared to the turnout in the six seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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These are the key constituencies to watch out for in Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha election:

Tikamgarh: The constituency, which came into existence in 2008 as part of implementation of the delimitation exercise, has been held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2009. Tikamgarh Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC). BJP leader Virendra Kumar Khatik is eyeing his fourth win from Tikamgarh. The Congress has fielded a new face Pankaj Ahirwar from the constituency.  In 2019, Khatik had defeated Congress’ Kiran Ahirwar by a margin of over 3.48 lakh votes. Tikamgarh recorded 66.62% voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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Khajuraho: Khajuraho is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh which covers the Panna district and parts of Chhatarpur and Katni districts. The BJP has been in power in the constituency since 2004. For the upcoming elections, Congress has not fielded a candidate of its own but is extending support to All India Forward Block (AIFB) candidate RB Prajapati. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Vishnu Datt Sharma defeated Congress leader Kavita Singh by a margin of over 4.92 lakh votes. The constituency, which was represented by former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti between 1989 and 1998, recorded a voter turnout of 68.31% in 2019.

Damoh: Established in 1962, the Lok Sabha constituency comprises Damoh district and parts of Sagar and Chhatarpur districts. A BJP stronghold, Damoh was represented by Prahlad Patel until he contested the MP assembly election in 2023. Patel defeated Congress leader Pratap Singh Lodhi in 2019 by a margin of over 3.53 lakh votes. The saffon party has not been defeated in Damoh since 1989. The constituency is set for a Lodhi versus Lodhi battle on April 26 as the BJP has fielded Rahul Lodhi against Congress’ Tarvar Singh Lodhi.

Betul: Another Madhya Pradesh constituency which has not let the BJP down since 1996. The incumbent MP is Durga Das Uikey, who defeated Congress leader Ramu Tekam in 2019 by a margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. The constituency is set to see another Uikey vs Tekam battle as both the BJP and Congress have retained their candidates from 2019. Betul recorded a voter turnout of 78.18% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The constituency is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST).