Illustration showing Delhi's Central Vista with PM Narendra Modi to the left and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the right
Credit: PTI and iStock Photos
New Delhi: When voters queue up to vote in 102 Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase of elections on Friday, the challenge before both the ruling BJP and the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc is to improve their performance five years ago when they shared the spoils.
The NDA bagged 51 of the 102 poll-bound seats with BJP bagging the maximum of 40 then while the Opposition bloc too won the same numbers though Samajwadi Party and BSP contested outside Congress alliance.
However this time, RLP and AIADMK, which won one seat each in alliance with BJP, are not part of the NDA. RLP has joined hands with the I.N.D.I.A bloc and its chief Hanuman Beniwal is seeking reelection from Rajasthan’s Nagaur while AIADMK is fighting both the coalitions in Tamil Nadu.
While BJP tops the list with 40 seats, its allies LJP won two seats and JD(U) one in Bihar while Shiv Sena bagged one in Maharashtra. North-East parties NPF, NPP, NDPP, MNF and SKM too won one each seat.
In the Opposition, DMK was the lead player with 24 seats followed by Congress 15, CPI(M) and CPI 2 each and VCK, Muslim League and NCP won one each. BSP had won three and SP two in alliance in UP.
In the first phase of polling this time, the I.N.D.I.A bloc is hoping to repeat the 38-1 score in Tamil Nadu if not improve it though AIADMK and BJP are leaving no stone unturned to restrict the DMK-led coalition in Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, Congress expects to open its account in Rajasthan after a complete rout in Rajasthan in 2014 and 2019. Of the 12 seats going to polls in Rajasthan, BJP had won 11 while the remaining one went to RLP.
Erstwhile NDA ally Beniwal, who is seeking reelection from Nagaur, is now with the Congress-led coalition, which also has the CPI(M) whose Amra Ram will be fighting from Sikar. Congress is also banking on sitting MP Rahul Kaswan, who left the BJP after being denied a seat, who is fighting from Churu.
In the eight seats in UP, BJP and BSP had won three seats each and SP in one in 2019. However in a bypoll later in Rampur, BJP defeated the SP nominee. I.N.D.I.A bloc also hopes better performance in Saharanpur and Kairana as well as Pilibhit where BJP denied ticket to Varun Gandhi while it is to be seen how BSP’s tactical candidates impact the aspirants on both sides.
In Uttarakhand (5) and West Bengal (3), the BJP had won all the eight seats that were going to polls. Maharashtra, where five seats (BJP-3 , Congress-1, Shiv Sena-1) are going to polls in the first phase, is another state that is being keenly watched.
102 Seats in 2019
NDA - BJP: 40; LJP:2; Shiv Sena: 1; NPF: 1, NPP: 1, NDPP: 1, MNF: 1, SKM: 1, RLP: 1*, AIADMK: 1*
Opposition - DMK: 24, Congress: 15; BSP: 3**, CPI(M): 2, CPI: 2, SP: 2**, Muslim League:1, VCK: 1; NCP:1
* Left NDA alliance ** Was not part of Congress alliance
BJP Seats from: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
Congress Seats from: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Puducherry