Tuesday’s Lok Sabha election results will feature a host of high-profile contests, including veterans and newcomers, formidable rivals and surprise candidates. Here are some of the key contests to watch:
Narendra Modi vs Ajay Rai in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran for the Lok Sabha from Varanasi for the third time, defeating AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in 2014 and Samajwadi Party’s Shalini Yadav in 2019.
The Indian National Congress has fielded Ajay Rai, who contested as its candidate from the constituency in 2014 and 2019. Before Modi, the Varanasi seat was held by Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi.
Rahul Gandhi vs Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rahe Bareli
Rahul Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh, a three-time MP from Amethi who lost to incumbent MP Smriti Irani in 2019.
The seat, held by her mother Sonia Gandhi until February, had been held by the Indian National Congress since 1952, except for three elections in 1977 (Janata Party), 1996 and 1999 (BJP).
Rahul Gandhi vs Annie Raja in Wayanad
Rahul Gandhi, a senior Congress leader, is seeking a second term in Kerala’s Wayanad constituency against Annie Raja, a CPI leader and women’s rights activist. The race is of particular interest because both the Congress and the CPI are members of the Indian Union. In 2019, Gandhi won Wayanad constituency by a landslide, defeating PP Sunil of the CPI by 431,000 votes.
Smriti Irani vs KL Sharma in Amethi
Once the home of the Gandhi family, Amethi has been the scene of fierce contests in the last two Lok Sabha elections. While Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who took the seat from Rahul Gandhi in 2019, is seeking re-election from the constituency, the Indian National Congress has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family. This is the first time in 25 years that a member of the Gandhi family has not contested the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.
Shashi Tharoor vs Rajiv Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram
Shashi Tharoor, a sitting Member of Parliament and former Union Minister, is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term from Thiruvananthapuram. Tharoor is taking on Rajiv Chandrasekhar, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Union Minister. Tharoor won his first Lok Sabha election and is looking to expand his party’s influence in Kerala. Another leading leader in the race is Pannyan Raveendran of the CPI, who won from the same constituency in 2005.
