As the first phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections kicks off on Friday, the electoral fate of nine Union ministers hangs in the balance. Notable figures such as Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, and Arjun Ram Meghwal are among those vying for victory in this crucial electoral battle. Additionally, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are also poised to test their fortunes in this initial phase of polling.
Nitin Gadkari, the Union Road and Transport Minister, seeks a third consecutive victory from the prestigious Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, which hosts the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Having triumphed in 2014 and 2019, Gadkari faces a direct contest with Congress candidate Vikas Thakre this time around.
Kiren Rijiju, serving as the Union Minister of Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries, is contesting from the Arunachal West seat for the fourth time since 2004. His main challenger is former chief minister Nabam Tuki, who currently heads the Arunachal Pradesh Congress.
Meanwhile, Sarbanada Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, aims to return to the Lok Sabha from Assam’s Dibrugarh constituency. He replaces Rameswar Teli as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
Sanjeev Baliyan, BJP’s candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat, faces a competitive field, including candidates from the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, amidst intricate caste dynamics.
Jitendra Singh, a two-time MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, seeks re-election for a third term.
Bhupendra Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP and minister in the Modi cabinet, competes against sitting Congress MLA Lalit Yadav in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, BJP’s candidate from Rajasthan’s Bikaner seat, is up against former Congress minister Govind Ram Meghwal.
Nisith Pramanik, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, represents the BJP against Trinamool Congress’s Jagdish Chandra Baisunya in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.
In addition to the Union ministers, several other prominent candidates are in the fray. Former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently rejoined the BJP, contests from Chennai South. Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, seeks re-election from the Chhindwara seat.
The West Tripura seat witnesses a showdown between former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha.
Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, shifts his electoral battleground to Jorhat after winning the Kaliabor constituency twice since 2014, following a delimitation exercise.
As polling commences, all eyes are on these key contenders as they vie for victory in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
