Lok Sabha elections: 121 seats begin voting in the biggest phase

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More than 25 bigwigs are trying their luck in Thursday's fifth phase of polling.

With 121 seats across 12 states voting in fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, India is witnessing the biggest round of electoral exercise on April 17. With this phase the voting will cross the half-way mark in terms of seats in more than a month-long exercise. More than 25 bigwigs are trying their luck in Thursday's fifth phase of polling.

Nandan Nilekani, Maneka Gandhi, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Union Minister Veerappa Moily, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Srikant Jena, Supriya Sule and Lalu Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti are amongst the 1,769 candidates in the fifth of the nine-phased elections.

Polling is taking place in all 28 seats in Karnataka, followed by Rajasthan (20), Maharashtra (19), Uttar Pradesh and Odisha (11 each), Madhya Pradesh (10), Bihar (7), Jharkhand (6), West Bengal (4), Chhattisgarh (3), Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur (1 each). So far polling has been held in 111 constituencies in four phases. In the last substantial round of 91 seats went to polls on April 10.

Of the total seats, Congress has 36 seats while its main challenger BJP has 40 seats in the outgoing Lok Sabha. An electorate of 16.61 crore has the right to exercise their franchise on Thursday.

KARNATAKA:

Karnataka witnessed intense campaign by both national as well as state bigwigs for a sharply bipolar fight. Among all stalwarts, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda is the senior most. He is fighting his last big battle from his bastion Hassan in south Karnataka on Thursday. This is Gowda's 16th direct election. He has won 13 of the total 15 direct elections he fought since 1962.

This time Gowda is facing a tough fight. The ruling Congress is Karnataka has fielded a sitting MLA A Manju against him. The BJP has fielded an ex-MP from Mysore CH Vijayashankar. According to ground reports, sympathy factor is working for Gowda and he will most likely sail through.

His son and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from Chikballapur against Union Minister and another former chief minister M Veerappa Moily. Moily is facing serious charges of corruption and battling anti-incumbency. Even a renowned Gandhian and freedom fighter HS Doreswamy, who considered a conscience keeper of Karnataka has appealed to the voters to defeat Moily.

The BJP is trying to win the seat by pushing both Moily and Kumaraswamy to second and third spots.

The most interesting election is being fought in the prestigious Bangalore South. IT giant Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani is making his electoral debut against five time BJP MP and former Union minister Ananth Kumar. Kumar is fighting anti-incumbency. But, a 'mini Modi wave' seems to be working in his favour this time. The RSS is backing him fully.

In Shimoga, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa is defending his son's seat. He is facing his arch rival in the district politics former chief minister late S Bangarappa's daughter Geetha Shivarajkumar. Since she is married to Kannada thespian Rajkumar's son and a famous Kannada hero Shivarajkumar, many bigwigs from the film fraternity backing her candidature. She is contesting on the JDS ticket.

In Bellary, B Sriramulu of the BJP is taking on Justice NY Hanumanthappa of the Congress. Sriramulu, a close confidante of the illegal mining mafia dons Reddy brothers. His return to the BJP was opposed by Sushma Swaraj and he is also facing anti-Reddy sentiments in the district. However both Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi are backing him fully.

Out of 28 seats in Karnataka, BJP has 18 sitting MPs, Congress 8 and JDS 1.

MAHARASHTRA

In Maharashtra, 358 candidates including stalwarts like Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former chief minister Ashok Chavan, BJP leader Gopinath Munde and NCP leaders Supriya Sule and Nilesh Rane will test their electoral fate. Nineteen seats are going for elections in this phase where Congress has 6 sitting MPs, BJP 2, Shiv Sena 4, NCP 3 and SWP 1. There is also an independent MP.

Ashok Chavan is contesting from his father SB Chavan's fiefdom Nanded. The 'Adarsh scam' has dented his image to some extent. But, in Nanded, he is banking on his father's legacy and his personal clout to win this election.

In neighbouring Latur, former chief minister the late Vilasrao Deshmukh's son Amit Deshmukh is contesting this time. He is banking on the sympathy wave and the influence his father wielded over the constituency during his lifetime.

In Solapur, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is trying his luck again. He is facing anti-incumbency and a BJP wave is also working against him.

In Beed, BJP stalwart from the state Gopinath Munde is pitted against a strong NCP candidate. Munde, a powerful OBC leader from Marathwada is fighting a tough battle, but the Modi wave may help him to some extent.

In Baramati, the NCP candidate and sitting MP Supriya Sule's victory is a foregone conclusion. Her father and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar's influence is working in favour of the daughter.

In the prestigious Pune seat, the Congress fielded state youth Congress president Vishwajit Kadam after denying ticket to sitting MP and CWG scam main accused Suresh Kalmadi. Sulking Kalmadi has 'openly' endorsed Kadam's candidature. But, Kadam is facing a resurgent BJP-Shiv Sena candidate in Pune.

MADHYA PRADESH

In neighbouring MP, all eyes are on Guna Lok Sabha seat. Scion of the Gwalior royal family and 3-time MP Jyotiraditya Scindia is defending the seat for the fourth consecutive term. The BJP is claiming that it will wrest the seat from Scindia family this time. But, no member of the Scindia family has ever lost an election from here. Of the 10 constituencies in MP, eight constituencies - Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Sagar, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho and Bhopal are currently held by the BJP. Only two seats - Guna and Rajgarh - are represented by the Congress. In Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh BJP Chief Narendra Singh Tomar is fighting a tough battle against Congress' Ashok Singh who is a close aide of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

10 Lok Sabha seats in MP will be voting on April 17.

BIHAR

In Bihar, 117 candidates are in the fray including RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and her uncle Ram Kripal Yadav and another former Lalu aide Ranjan Prasad Yadav. Out of the seven seats going to poll on Thursday, the JDU has four sitting MPs, BJP and RJD have one each.

Nitish Kumar's stronghold Nalanda will also vote along with Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Munger, Arrah, Buxar and Jehanabad.

Bollywood star and BJP sitting MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha is once again contesting from the same seat. He faces Bhojpuri star Kunal Singh Yadav (Congress), prominent Patna doctor Dr Gopal Prasad Sinha (JDU) and AAP's Parveen Amanullah.

Former Union home secretary Raj Kumar Singh (BJP) from Arrah, Amrapali Group Chairman Anil Kumar Sharma (JDU) from Jahanabad, former Bihar DGP Ashish Ranjan Sinha (Congress) from Nalanda are also trying their luck. LJP's Veena Devi, wife of known strongman and murder convict Suraj Bhan Singh, is pitted against sitting JDU MP Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh and RJD's Pragati Mehta in Munger.

UTTAR PRADESH

In 11 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, over 1.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 151 candidates, including stalwarts like former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. Maneka Gandhi is seeking a 7th term in the Lok Sabha. She is once again contesting from Philibit, which she had vacated for her son Varun Gandhi last time. BJP wave in UP is helping Maneka this time.

In Muslim dominated Rampur, Begum Noor Bano of the earstwhile Rampur royal family is contesting on the Congress ticket. Out of the seven seats going on polls on Thursday, the SP has four sitting MPs, BJP 2, Congress 1 and BSP and RLD have one each.

ODISHA

11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats in Odisha will go to the second and last phase polling for the elections on April 17. The fate of 98 candidates, including 11 women would be decided in the Lok Sabha elections and that of 747 candidates, including 65 women, in the Assembly.

BJP MP and its face in New Delhi, Jay Panda is seeking a second term from Kendrapara. He claims that his pro-people work and the chief minister Naveen Patnaik's clean image will work in his favour.

JHARKHAND

Six Lok Sabha seats figure in the second phase of polling in Jharkhand. Among the 106 nominees, prominent candidates are Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Karia Munda of BJP, former Indian cricket team manager Amitabh Chowdhury of JVMP, Jayant Sinha, son of former Union minister Jaswant Sinha and former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay of the Congress.

WEST BENGAL

Four constituencies of West Bengal - Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar - will also go to poll. All the four seats are held by AIFB, RSP, CPI(M), BJP. In Darjeeling, Football star Baiching Bhutia is contesting on the Trinamool Congress ticket. He is making his electoral debut from the hill station.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Congress leader and Union Minister Gulam Nabi Azad's fate is being locked in EVMs in Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency where he is in direct fight with BJP's Jintender Singh.

The 65-year-old Congress leader, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member, has been a Lok Sabha MP before but from outside Jammu and Kashmir. He was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1980 from Washim in Maharashtra and again from the same constituency in 1984.

Azad, who was chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from April 2006 to 2008, has addressed over 100 rallies, street meetings and road shows for his Lok Sabha polls from here.

The Udhampur Parliamentary constituency, with headquarters at Kathua, comprises six districts Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Udhampur, Reasi and Kathua.

CHHATTISGARH

In Chhattisgarh, three seats - all held by the ruling BJP will go to poll. An electorate of 45,56,051 will decide the fate of 50 candidates, including five women. Ajit Jogi and Chief Minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek are in the fray from Mahasamund and Rajnadgaon respectively.

Goa and Manipur will go to polls for two and one seats respectively on April 17. In Manipur, eight candidates are in the fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat.

Key candidates in the fifth phase:

KARNATAKA

Nandan Nilekani v/s Ananthkumar - Bangalore South

HD Deve Gowda - Hassan

BS Yeddyurappa - Shimoga

B Sriramulu - Bellary

BIHAR

Shatrughan Sinha vs Kunal Singh Yadav in Patna Sahib

Misa Bharti from Patliputra

Ashish Ranjan Sinha (Congress) from Nalanda

JHARKHAND

Subodh Kant Sahay vs Amitabh Choudhary vs Ram Tahal Choudhary in Ranchi