On May 25, voting will be underway in 58 constituencies across eight states and Union Territories in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. A total of 889 candidates, including 20 for the adjourned poll in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat, are in contention.
Naveen Jindal (Kurukshetra):
Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, Naveen Jindal, is contesting from Kurukshetra on a BJP ticket. He faces tough competition from Sushil Gupta of AAP and Abhay Singh Chautala of the Chautala family.
Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi):
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, aiming for his third term, is challenged by Congress’s Kanhaiya Kumar. Tiwari has represented the constituency for a decade and is the sole sitting MP retained by BJP in Delhi.
Bansuri Swaraj (New Delhi):
BJP’s youngest candidate, Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Sushma Swaraj, is contesting against Somnath Bharti of AAP. A practicing lawyer, Swaraj is up for her first Lok Sabha election.
Kanhaiya Kumar (North East Delhi):
Former JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, supported by Rahul Gandhi, is in a face-off with BJP’s Manoj Tiwari.
Maneka Gandhi (Sultanpur):
Contesting her second election from Sultanpur on a BJP ticket, Maneka Gandhi faces competition from SP’s Rambhual Nishad and BSP’s Udraj Verma.
Mehbooba Mufti (Anantnag Rajouri):
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is in a three-way contest with Mian Altaf of NC and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of Apni Party, marking the first election post-Article 370 abrogation.
Sambit Patra (Puri):
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, seeking re-election, faces BJD’s Pinaki Misra in Puri.
Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal):
Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar is contesting from Karnal against Haryana Youth Congress chief Divyanshu Budhiraja.
Abhijit Gangopadhyay (Tamluk):
Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, representing BJP, is up against TMC’s Debangshu Bhattacharya.
Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ (Azamgarh):
Bhojpuri actor and BJP MP Dinesh Lal Yadav “Nirahua” is contesting against SP’s Dharmendra Yadav in Azamgarh.
These candidates and constituencies will be closely watched as the electoral battle unfolds in Phase 6 of the Lok Sabha elections.
