Lok Sabha Polls Phase 7: PM Modi, Kangana Ranaut, Abhishek Banerjee Among Prominent Candidates in Fray

The seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections, encompassing 57 seats across seven States and one Union Territory, will determine the electoral fate of leaders from notable constituencies like Varanasi, Mandi, Chandigarh, and Amritsar. Of these seats, 9 are from West Bengal, 13 each from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, 8 from Bihar, 6 from Odisha, 4 from Himachal Pradesh, 3 from Jharkhand, and one from Chandigarh. A total of 904 candidates are vying for victory in this phase.

This phase witnesses key contests in various constituencies, with prominent candidates including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders Kangana Ranaut, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Anurag Thakur, Ravi Kishan, Nishikant Dubey, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Congress leaders Manish Tewari, Charanjit Singh Channi, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, among others.

In Varanasi, PM Modi seeks a third consecutive term, facing off against Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai. Mandi holds symbolic significance for Congress, with BJP fielding Kangana Ranaut against Vikramaditya Singh. In Hamirpur, Union Minister Anurag Thakur contends with Congress leader Satpal Singh Raizada. Gorakhpur sees a battle between BJP’s Ravi Kishan and SP’s Kajal Nishad.

Ludhiana features a multi-cornered contest among BJP’s Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, AAP’s Ashok Parashar Pappi, and SAD’s Ranjit Singh Dhillon. Chandigarh sees Congress leader Manish Tewari pitted against BJP’s Sanjay Tandon. Jalandhar witnesses a face-off between former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, BJP’s Sushil Kumar Rinku, and AAP’s Pawan Kumar Tinu. Diamond Harbour sees TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee defending his seat.

In Ghazipur, BJP’s Paras Nath Rai challenges SP’s incumbent MP Afzal Ansari. Bathinda features SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal against Congress’ Jeet Mohinder Singh, AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Khudian, and BJP’s Parampal Kaur Sidhu. Godda sees BJP’s Nishikant Dubey contest against INDIA bloc’s Pradeep Yadav. Patna Sahib witnesses BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad against Congress’ Anshul Avijit.

Additionally, independent candidate Amritpal Singh competes in Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib constituency, and in Amritsar, BJP fields Taranjit Singh against Congress incumbent MP Gurjeet Aujla.

Polling for 486 Parliamentary constituencies has concluded, with the remaining 42 Assembly Constituencies of Odisha State Legislative Assembly also voting simultaneously. Over 10.06 crore electors, comprising approximately 5.24 crore Male, 4.82 crore Female, and 3574 Third-gender electors, are expected to cast their votes across ~1.09 lakh polling stations. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.