Phase 1 of Lok Sabha elections 2024: Key constituencies to watch for on April 19
PTC Web Desk: India is gearing up for its Lok Sabha elections 2024, with the first phase set to commence on April 19. Voters will cast ballots for 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, India's lower House of Parliament. The party or coalition that secures a majority in the Lok Sabha will form the next government. This democratic exercise is the largest in the world, with 969 million registered voters using 5.5 million electronic voting machines across 44 days. The election results are set to be announced on June 4.
Key constituencies voting on April 19
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP has struggled to gain traction in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where it failed to win any of the 39 seats in 2019. This time, the party is pinning its hopes on state leader K Annamalai to secure a win in Coimbatore.
Nagpur, Maharashtra: Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, a prominent BJP leader and potential challenger to PM Narendra Modi, is contesting from Nagpur. Nagpur, known for its oranges, is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological mentor.
Manipur: The state’s two seats will participate in the first and second phases of voting on April 19 and 26, respectively. The elections take place against a backdrop of ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which has resulted in over 200 deaths since May 2023. The BJP’s handling of the violence could affect its political standing in the state.
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh: This area was the site of anti-Muslim riots in 2013, which some believe helped the BJP secure a significant victory in 2014. Muzaffarnagar, with its significant Muslim population, votes on April 19. The BJP has relied on consolidating Hindu votes in previous elections.
Political landscape across states voting in first phase
Tamil Nadu: The state is governed by an alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a party part of the INDIA alliance.
Uttar Pradesh: The state is under BJP control.
Manipur: Like many other states such as Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand, Manipur is also governed by the BJP.
Other regions: BJP is in power through alliances in Maharashtra, Bihar, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Puducherry.
Federally governed regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Jammu and Kashmir (since the Modi government revoked its special status in 2019) lack a democratically elected state government. Meanwhile, Mizoram is governed by a coalition of regional parties, the Zoram People’s Movement.
In the 2019 elections, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), many of whose members are now part of the INDIA grouping, secured 45 of the 102 seats that will vote on April 19. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 42 of these seats.
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP did not win any seats in the last election, while the NDA won just one seat through its regional ally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The UPA claimed the rest, with the DMK winning 23 seats and other allies taking the remainder.
Assam has seen changes due to a delimitation exercise, with Kaziranga replacing the former constituency of Kaliabor. The Congress won the Kaliabor seat in 2019, while Sonitpur, which replaces the former Tezpur constituency, was won by the BJP.
- With inputs from agencies
