Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections 2024: Key constituencies and candidates in Phase 5

Voting will be conducted from 7 am to 6 pm in 24,553 polling centres.

In Maharashtra, 13 Lok Sabha constituencies, including six seats in Mumbai, are voting in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

The seats going to polls in this phase are Mumbai North, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai Northwest, Mumbai North East, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai South, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Palghar, Nashik, Dindori, and Dhule.

Here are the key seats and candidates to watch out for.

Mumbai North: Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s candidature was announced by the BJP in its second list of 72 candidates. Goyal, who is making his poll debut, is up against the Congress candidate Bhushan Patil. Senior BJP leader Gopal Shetty won from Mumbai North in 2014 and 2019.

Mumbai South: Two-time MP and UBT Sena leader Arvind Sawant is aiming for a hat- trick as he faces Shiv Sena’s Byculla MLA Yamini Yashwant Jadhav here. While Sawant relies on vocal representation in Parliament, where he raised various national issues, Jadhav highlights the good governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Mumbai north-central: This seat will witness a battle between first-time Lok Sabha candidates fielded by the BJP and Congress. The Congress fielded its Mumbai unit chief, Varsha Gaikwad, while the BJP nominated senior criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as its candidate. Nikam has handled the country's several high-profile cases, including 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Meanwhile, Gaikwad (49), a four-time MLA and former minister, is a prominent Dalit leader in the city.

Thane: Thane will witness the contest between two factions of Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Rajan Baburao Vichare, the sitting MP from Thane, who will contest against Shiv Sena's Naresh Mhaske. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena's Rajan Baburao Vichare won by defeating Congress candidate Anand Paranjape.

Kalyan: Kalyan is all set to witness a Sena vs Sena contest. Dr Shrikant Shinde, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s son, is contesting for a third term from the Shiv Sena (Eknath). The rival Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray has fielded former corporator Vaishali Darekar-Rane against Shrikant Shinde. Kalyan is classified under the general category and is one of 48 parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra. It comprises a portion of Thane district and has six assembly segments – Ambernath (SC), Ulhas Nagar, Kalyan East, Dombivali, Kalyan Rural and Mumbra-Kalwa.