The seventh and final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is taking place today, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being one of the prominent candidates. Modi is running for the Varanasi seat for the third time, having previously contested in 2014 and 2019. In 2014, he defeated Arvind Kejriwal by a margin of 3.37 lakh votes and in 2019, he beat SP-BSP Mahagathbandhan candidate Shalini Yadav by 4.80 lakh votes. Modi faced 41 opponents in 2014 and 26 in 2019. This year, he is one of seven candidates.
Let’s look at his competitors:
Ajay Rai, the Congress candidate, is making his third attempt to win the Varanasi seat, as reported by Moneycontrol. Rai began his political career in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later became a convener of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s student wing. He was elected to the UP Assembly from Varanasi’s Kolasla on a BJP ticket in 1996, 2002, and 2007.
However, Rai left the BJP after being denied a Lok Sabha ticket in 2009. Rai has movable assets worth Rs 6.66 lakh and immovable assets valued at Rs 1.25 crore, and he has been booked in 18 cases. This time, he is running as the INDIA bloc candidate. In August, he replaced Brijlal Khabri as the Congress’ Uttar Pradesh chief, according to the Indian Express.
Kolisetty Shiva Kumar, from Hyderabad, is a former board member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Kumar has dedicated his life to cow protection and owns three gaushalas in Hyderabad that house 1,500 cows. He and his party, Yuga Thulasi Party, have been in conflict with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Hyderabad. Kumar’s main demand is for the cow to be declared India’s national animal, as per Deccan Herald.
Kumar has movable assets of Rs 36.19 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 2.02 crore. Controversy surrounds his candidacy as two people have accused him of fraudulently using their Aadhaar cards to list them as his proposers for the election. The Indian Express reported that Station House Officer VK Shukla confirmed two FIRs have been registered against Kumar.
Ather Jamal Lari, the BSP candidate, has decades of political experience and has been associated with various parties, including the Janata Dal, Apna Dal, and Qaumi Ekta Dal. He was also with the Samajwadi Party before the 2022 elections. A resident of Varanasi, Lari is a loom owner and has been involved in socialist politics since the 1960s.
He has contested multiple elections in Varanasi but has yet to secure a win. Lari has movable assets worth Rs 6.52 lakh and immovable assets valued at Rs 1.8 crore, with one case against him, as reported by the Indian Express.
Gagan Prakash Yadav is the candidate for Apna Dal (K), a party that split from the Samajwadi Party over representation issues concerning Dalits, Backward, and minority communities. Yadav has not been actively campaigning due to the recent death of his brother in a road accident. He recently left the Samajwadi Party.
Yadav has movable assets worth Rs 19.16 lakh and immovable assets valued at Rs 66 lakh, with five cases against him, as per Deccan Herald.
Dinesh Kumar Yadav, a three-time corporator from Varanasi’s Sikraul, has been involved in politics for over a decade.
Previously associated with the BJP, he decided to contest independently, stating, “I am fighting because there is democracy in the country.” BJP regional media in-charge Navratan Rathi denied any affiliation with Yadav, saying, “I have not heard this name.”
Yadav has movable assets worth Rs 16.40 lakh and immovable assets valued at Rs 10 lakh, with no cases against him, according to the Indian Express.
Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, a social worker based in New Delhi, has participated in workers’ rights movements and is a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tiwari believes in Gandhian philosophy and has not been directly associated with any political party, although he has worked with them as an intellectual. Tiwari has movable assets worth Rs 11.46 lakh and immovable assets valued at Rs 29 lakh, as reported by Deccan Herald.
