Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 20: Key constituencies to watch out for

The Uttar Pradesh will decide the fate of five Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

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Campaigning for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections ended on Saturday, May 18. The last date for filing nominations for this phase was May 3. Follow full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2024

Lok Sabha polls Phase 5: Key candidates

From Rahul Gandhi to Smriti Irani, from Karan Bhushan Singh to Chirag Paswan; many big names will have their fate at stake during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls 2024. Other big names such as Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Rohini Acharya will also be looking for electoral success.

Who is voting in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls 2024?

Jharkhand: 3 of the 14 constituencies.

Odisha: 5 of the 21 constituencies.

Uttar Pradesh: 14 of the 80 constituencies.

Bihar: 5 of the 40 constituencies.

Maharashtra: 13 of the 48 constituencies.

West Bengal: 7 of the 42 constituencies.

Ladakh: 1 constituency.

Jammu and Kashmir: 1 of the 5 constituencies.

Lok Sabha polls Phase 5: Key constituencies

1. Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi of the Congress is contesting from the Rae Bareli seat this election, taking over from his mother, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who represented the constituency four times. Additionally, Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election in Wayanad, Kerala, where polling has already taken place.
2. Amethi, Uttar Pradesh: In Amethi, the battle is intense as the Congress aims to reclaim the seat from Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani. The Congress has dominated these constituencies for decades, with both sending two prime ministers— Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother and father, respectively — to Parliament. Rahul Gandhi won Amethi in 2004, 2009, and 2014, before Smriti Irani defeated him in 2019. This time, the Congress loyalist KL Sharma is challenging Irani.
3. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Defence minister Rajnath Singh is eyeing a fourth term from Lucknow. He is pitted against sitting Samajwadi Party MLA Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow Central.
4. Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh: The constituency sees a significant change as BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been denied a ticket due to charges of sexual harassment, which he denied. The BJP gave the ticket to his son, Karan Bhushan, from the seat.
5. Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh: This is home to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, from where Lallu Singh is seeking re-election on a BJP ticket. His main rival is Awadhesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Party.
6. Saran, Bihar: Former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya is challenging the BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran. Her father also represented this seat in the past. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal is a part of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.
7. Hajipur, Bihar: LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan is aiming to carry forward father Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy. He is pitted against RJD’s Shiv Chandra Ram. From 1977 to 2014, the seat was won eight times by Ram Vilas Paswan, who lost only twice, in 1984 and 2009. Chirag’s decision to shift his constituency from Jamui to Hajipur, an LJP stronghold, aims to assert his position as his father’s political heir.
8. Mumbai North, Maharashtra: Mumbai North is one of the 48 constituencies and forms a part of the Mumbai Suburban district of Maharashtra. It is a stronghold of the BJP. The BJP fielded Piyush Goyal against Congress’s Bhushan Patil from the Mumbai North seat.
9. Ladakh: In the union territory of Ladakh, the lone constituency carved out of Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, has seen protests against the BJP. The party has denied a ticket to its sitting MP, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. The Congress aims to capitalise on local grievances, particularly the demand to bring the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The Congress has promised to include Ladakh in the schedule, which would protect the tribal status of the region. Many locals fear that without this provision, their land, jobs, and educational benefits could be threatened by people from other parts of the country.
10. Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir: National Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah is pitted against Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference (PC) and Mir Mohammad Fayaz of Peoples Democratic Party.

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