The polling for the seventh and final round of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 is currently underway. During the last phase, voting is being held across eight states and Union Territories for 57 parliamentary cosntituencies. Among the 904 candidates, whose electoral fate will be decided today, there are several prominent leaders in fray including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, actor Kangana Ranaut, and Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti, among many others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
PM Modi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, with an aim to secure a third term. Besides Modi, six other contestants are vying from Varanasi, including Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai.
PM Modi won from the Varanasi seat in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and is now eyeinga third consecutive term. Ajay Rai, on the other hand, previously used to be a BJP leader, but joined the Congress in 2012.
Kangana Ranaut
In Himachal Pradesh, actor-politician Kangana Ranaut is contesting her maiden election from Mandi on a BJP ticket. It will be an interesting battle to watch out for as she is pitted against Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh.
Mandi is currently represented by Singh's mother Pratibha Singh, wife of six time CM of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh. While the grand old party is fighting to retain the seat, the saffron party seeks to re-claim the seat won by the Congress in 2021 by-election, following the saffron party MP Ram Swaroop Sharma's death that year.
Anurag Thakur
BJP has fielded Union Minister Anurag Thakur as its candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur constituency. He is contesting against Congress candidate Satpal Singh Raizada.
In 2008, Thakur became an MP from Hamirpur after his father's resignation. Thereafter, he won three more elections from the seat in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
Abhishek Banerjee
Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Congress candidate, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from West Bengal's Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
The Diamond Harbour seat is a strategic stronghold for TMC.
Banerjee will be in a three-cornered contest with Abhijit Das of the BJP and CPI(M)’s Pratikur Rahaman.
Misa Bharti
Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti is contesting the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat from Bihar. RJD's chief Lalu Prasad Yadav failed to win this seat in 2009 parliamentary elections and Misa Bharti lost in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Misa is pitted against BJP candidate Kripal, who claims he has the support of all castes and communities.
Ravi Kishan
Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Ravi Kishan is contesting elections on a BJP ticket from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur seat. He is pitted against Bhojpuri actress Kajal Nishad of the Samajwadi Party.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Ravi Kishan defeated SP's Rambhual Nishad.
Amritpal Singh
Waris Punjab De head, Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in a Assam jail, is fighting from the Khadoor Sahib seat in Punjab as an independent canidate.
He is competing against BJP's Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who is a former envoy to the US.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Harsimrat Kaur Badal is contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2024 from Punjab's Bhatinda seat. The Shiromani Akali Dal MP is pitted against BJP candidate Parampal Kaur Sandhu, AAP's Gurmeet Singh Khudian, and Congress's Jeet Mohinder Singh.
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