Campaigning ends for 1st phase of polling in 3 Bengal LS seats

The election campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded at 3 pm today in the North East, and in other areas, it ended at 6 pm

PTI,  Apr 17 2024: Campaigning for 102 parliamentary constituencies spread across 21 states and Union territories, where polling would be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, ends Wednesday.

 

In the first phase, polling will be held in Arunachal Pradesh (2 seats), Assam (5), Bihar (4), Chhattisgarh (1), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (5), Manipur (2),Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Rajasthan (12), Sikkim (1), Tamil Nadu (39), Tripura (1), Uttar Pradesh (8), Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (3), Andaman and Nicobar (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Lakshadweep (1) and Puducherry (1).

Uttar Pradesh

Electioneering for the first phase of polling on April 19 in Uttar Pradesh ended Wednesday evening with the candidates wrapping up their campaigns for eight parliamentary seats.

On the last day of the campaign, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav -- both partners in opposition's INDIA bloc -- addressed rallies in Saharanpur and Moradabad.

The seats going to polls in the first phase on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit in the western region of the state.

Prominent candidates in this phase are Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan from Muzaffarnagar, and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina.

Uttarakhand

Campaigning drew to a close in Uttarakhand at 5 pm this evening, Chief Electoral Officer B V R C Purushottam said at a press conference here.

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Having won all the five seats in Uttarakhand in both 2014 and 2019 general elections, the BJP is seeking to retain them for a third term.

Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is contesting in place of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in Haridwar and Anil Baluni in place of Tirath Singh Rawat in Pauri Garhwal.

Madhya Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaign, built around the development plank, in Madhya Pradesh for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections that ended on Wednesday, with the Congress promising financial dole to women, caste census and the "right" price to farmers for their produce.

With the first phase scheduled for April 19, the fate of 88 candidates contesting in six seats in the state, including Congress' Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath and Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste, nominated from Mandla (ST), will now be sealed by voters.

Maharashtra 

Campaigning for Lok Sabha elections came to an end in five constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra on Wednesday evening.

Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the first phase on April 19.

In Nagpur, a direct fight is on cards between Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and Congress' Vikas Thakre.

In 2019, Gadkari had defeated Congress' Nana Patole by 2,16,000 votes. The constituency, which also houses the headquarters of the RSS, has a total of 22,18,259 voters including 11,10, 840 male voters, 11,07,197 female and 222 transgender ones.

Jammu and Kashmir

The high-voltage electioneering came to an end on Wednesday evening in Udhampur parliamentary constituency in Jammu and Kashmir which is witnessing its first major electoral battle since it was bifurcated and downgraded to the status of a Union Territory in 2019.

The polling is slated in Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in the first phase on April 19 and will decide the fate of 12 contestants, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh who is seeking a third term and is facing a major challenge from Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh.

The presence of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidate and former Jammu and Kashmir minister G M Saroori makes the contest a triangular one.

West Bengal

Campaigning for three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal - Cooch Behar (SC), Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST) - going to polls in the first phase on April 19 came to an end at 6 PM on Wednesday.

Woes of the tea garden workers and recognition of the Rajbanshis are among the common key issues in the three seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held public rallies in support of their respective party candidates.

Altogether 14 candidates, including sitting MP and Union minister Nisith Pramanik, are contesting the parliamentary elections from Cooch Behar.

The TMC has fielded Jagadish Chandra Burma Basunia from the seat, while the Forward Bloc nominated Nitish Chandra Roy and the Congress named Pia Roy Chowdhury.

Chhattisgarh 

Acrimonious exchanges between main rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over issues like corruption, poverty and pre-poll promises made by them dominated the high-decibel campaign for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh covering the Bastar seat that ended on Wednesday evening.

Naxal-affected Bastar is the only seat among the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state that will vote in the first phase on April 19, an exercise that will take place in shadow of the major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district on April 16 in which 29 Maoists, including senior cadres, were gunned down by security forces. Kanker is part of the Bastar region. A total of 11 candidates are in fray in Bastar

Mizoram  

Campaigning for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram ended on Wednesday with political parties making last ditch efforts to woo voters.

The ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) asserted that it will maintain neutrality and remain independent as a strong regional force by not aligning itself with the BJP-led NDA or opposition INDIA bloc at the Centre even if it is elected.

ZPM candidate Richard Vanlalhmangaiha said he will serve as a bridge between the state government and the Centre and vowed to pursue more development projects for the state.

The ZPM, which is contesting the polls for the first time on its own since its formation in 2017, is banking on its agenda of political change, people's government and transparency.

The Congress has tried to capitalise on its anti-BJP agenda accusing the saffron party of suppressing people's right to freedom and undermining the democratic fabric of the country.

Arunachal Pradesh

Campaigning for the April 19 simultaneous polls in Arunachal Pradesh came to end on Wednesday evening, setting the stage to elect two Lok Sabha MPs and 50 lawmakers for the state assembly.

While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a public rally at Namsai to seek votes for Arunachal East Lok Sabha candidate Tapir Gao, party's president JP Nadda addressed a rally at Doimukh near here, seeking support from people for the western parliamentary constituency's candidate Kiren Rijiju.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleague Ashok Singhal had addressed several meetings in the state for BJP.

Though the opposition Congress had announced names of several star campaigners, nobody turned up for campaigning.

NPP president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma addressed two election rallies at Longding and Basar.

This time, the parties also campaigned through social media platforms and door-to-door visits.

The ruling BJP in the northeastern state has already opened its account by securing 10 seats in the 60-member assembly.

Assam 

Campaigning for the first phase of polls to five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam scheduled on April 19 ended on Wednesday.

The battle of the ballots in this phase will decide the fate of 35 candidates including two Rajya Sabha MPs, three Lok Sabha MPs and an MLA.

The five constituencies going to the polls in this phase are Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur.

The prominent candidates in the fray are Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is contesting from Dibrugarh, and Lok Sabha's deputy leader of the opposition Gaurav Gogoi, who has been fielded by the Congress from Jorhat.

Tripura 

The campaign for Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency and Ramnagar Assembly constituency by-poll ended at 5 pm on Wednesday.

All preparations including security arrangements have been made for the polling to be held on April 19, an election department official said.

Rallies, public meetings and roadshows marked the two-week long high decibel campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi adding glamour to it.

Although nine candidates are in the fray in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, the battle will be mainly between BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Asish Kumar Saha.