Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 9 major battles to watch out for in Phase 1

The first phase of Lok Sabha elections will commence on April 19, with polling in 102 constituencies spread across 21 states and Union Territories.  Voting will be held --- all 39 of Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats, 12 in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 in Uttarakhand, Assam, and Maharashtra, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya, and 1 in each of the following: Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

Several influential people will be trying their luck in the Lok Sabha election's first phase. These are the main fights to be aware of, from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Jorhat in Assam.

1. Nagpur, Maharashtra

Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister responsible for roads and transportation, is running for the Lok Sabha seat from Nagpur once more. The previous two general elections, he has been victorious in the constituency while running on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.

Vilas Muttemwar of the Congress had held sway there, but Gadkari decisively beat him in the 2014 elections. In 2019, the veteran BJP leader defeated Congress' Nana Patole to win the seat. Gadkari is up against Vikas Thakre, the current Nagpur West MLA for the Congress, this time.

2. Nagina, Uttar Pradesh

There will be a four-cornered race for the Nagina seat, which is designated for candidates from Scheduled Caste. The national head of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram), Chandrashekhar Azad, is running for the Lok Sabha seat from Nagina. Renowned Dalit leader Azad is trying to turn his following into votes.  In the race for the seat are Manoj Kumar of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Surender Pal Singh of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Om Kumar of the BJP.

3. Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu

Kanimozhi, Thoothukudi MP for the DMK, is running for reelection. She is being challenged by Nainar Nagendran of the BJP from the seat. 

4. Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh

Nakul Nath of the Congress is running for reelection to the Lok Sabha from Chhindwara. In the 2019 elections, the son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath became victorious over BJP candidate Nathansaha Kawreti.

The only Lok Sabha seat that the Congress was able to secure in Madhya Pradesh was Chhindwara. Kamal Nath has won the seat nine times since 1980, and Chhindwara is his stronghold.

5. Arunachal West, Arunachal Pradesh

Kiren Rijiju, the Union minister of Earth and sciences, is contesting from the Lok Sabha constituency of Arunachal West. The Congress is running Nabam Tuki, a former state chief minister, for the position. Additionally competing is Ruhi Tangung of Janata Dal (United).

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rijiju had beaten Tuki, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress's current president. Takam Sanjoy of the Congress lost the seat to Rijiju of the BJP in 2014.

6. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

One of the most intriguing races in these Lok Sabha elections is Coimbatore. It has historically served as a bastion for both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the main opposition party (AIADMK). In the 2019 elections, PR Natarajan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a part of the coalition led by the DMK, won the Lok Sabha seat. From Coimbatore, K Annamalai, the head of the Tamil Nadu BJP, is making his Lok Sabha debut. He faces AIADMK candidate Singai Ramachandran and DMK candidate Ganapathy P Rajkumar.

7. Jorhat, Assam

In Assam's Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, it's Gogoi vs. Gogoi. Topon Kumar Gogoi, the current BJP MP, is running against Gaurav Gogoi, the leading contender for the Congress. Since 2014, Gaurav, the son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, has won twice from the Kaliabor constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.

8. Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu

K Chidambaram is expecting to win again from the Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. He will compete with BJP’s T Devanathan Yadav and the AIADMK’s Xavier Dass.

9. Chennai South, Tamil Nadu

Tamilisai Soundararajan, who lost to DMK’s Kanimozhi in 2019 from Thoothukudi, is the BJP’s candidate from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. She will be squaring off with DMK’s sitting MP Tamizhachi Thangapandian and AIADMK’s J Jayavardhan from the constituency.