New Delhi: The third phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled for Tuesday will see the maximum number of seats going to polls in a single phase — 117 across 15 states and Union Territories.
It will also be a test for the ruling BJP which will aim to defend the maximum number of seats — 62. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 62 of the 115 seats in the third phase, and its performance in this phase will be crucial in deciding its political fortunes. The Congress had won 16 seats last time.
This time the BJP will be tested in its bastion Gujarat — where polling will be held for all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state — apart from Karanataka, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, where the party had done well in 2014. In 2014, the BJP won all the 26 seats in Gujarat, 11 out of 14 in Karnataka, 8 out of in Uttar Pradesh, 6 out of 7 in Chhattisgarh and 6 out of 14 in Maharashtra.
Click here for latest updates on Lok Sabha Elections 2019
The Presidents of the two main political parties are also in fray in the third phase with BJP chief making his Lok Sabha election debut from Gandhinagar and Congress President Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad. The three young Gujarat leaders — Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mewani — who had helped the Congress build a narrative against the BJP during the Assembly elections, are not in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls.
Likewise, the BJP faces a strong challenge in Uttar Pradesh, as the third phase of Lok Sabha elections will be fought in the “Yadav belt”. In Karnataka, the BJP is considered to be on a strong footing in many of the 14 seats going to polls on Tuesday. However, the saffron party faces a tough challenge from the Congress-JD-S combine.
In Maharashtra, political stalwarts, scions of major political families and rebels are in fray for 14 constituencies. The battle will be fought in some NCP strongholds, including Baramati, Madha, Kolahpur and Satara. The Congress and the NCP have dominated the local bodies and cooperatives in the sugar belt of the state. The results will show if the NCP continues to retain its dominance.