Why Phase 3 Lok Sabha elections are important for Goa, Gujarat? Explained
Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7. The states in fray are — Goa, Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Of these, Gujarat and Goa will be under spotlight as all Lok Sabha seats will go to polling on May 7 in these two states.
Goa will contest the general elections on two Lok Sabha seats — North Goa and South Goa — which will witness two-way contest between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congress candidate Ramakant Khalap will fight against BJP's Shripad Yesso Naik from North Goa, while INC's Viriato Fernandes has been fielded against NDA-led BJP's Pallavi Dempo. On the other hand, voting will take place on 25 out of 26 seats in Gujarat.
The only exception is Surat, where BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal secured an uncontested victory after the nomination of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected and several other contenders also stepped back from the race last week. The Election Commission of India earlier also informed that Gujarat and Maharashtra saw the maximum number of nominations from the 12 states and Union Territories who will vote in Phase 3. “In phase 3, Gujarat had a maximum of 658 nomination forms from 26 Parliamentary Constituencies, followed by Maharashtra with 519 nominations from 11," the EC said.
A total of 2963 nominations were filed for 95 Parliamentary constituencies across 12 states and UTs going for polls in phase 3 for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The voting will begin at 7 am on May 7 and will conclude at 6 pm, providing ample opportunity for citizens to exercise their franchise. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls are being conducted in seven phases beginning April 19.
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