The fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will see some prominent leaders contesting from their constituencies. A total of 51 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls during the fifth phase, scheduled to be held on May 6. States like Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will see voting during the 5th phase. Here, we look at top three battles between leaders which will be in focus during the fifth phase.
Amethi is one of crucial constituencies to watch out for in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019. It is going to be a tough fight between Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi and BJP candidate Smriti Irani, both are whom are actively campaigning to woo voters. In 2014, Irani lost the seat in the same constituency by over a lakh votes.
Rahul Gandhi also has the support of her sister Priyanka Gandhi, who is taking over the campaign in Amethi as Congress chief is busy with rallies across the nation. While Amethi is a stronghold of Rahul Gandhi and Congress party since its inception as Lok Sabha constituency in 1967, Irani looks to turn the table. Irani has been doing massive campaigning at the place and can give a close competition to Gandhi.
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh is seeking his second term in Lok Sabha from Lucknow and his main rival is Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. Being a former constituency of ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lucknow is a stronghold of BJP and thus Rajnath Singh enjoys an upper hand in upcoming elections.
Poonam Sinha, a Bollywood former actress is contesting from Samajwadi Party. She recently made headlines for becoming the richest candidate in fifth phase, after declaring assets of Rs 193 crore in her affidavit to election commission. Although Poonam enjoys popularity among people due to her acting background and husband Shatrughan Sinha, she will find it tough in BJP’s stronghold of Lucknow. But being her first elections, it will be exciting to see how close a fight she gives to Rajnath Singh.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is seeking a fifth term in Lok Sabha. Dinesh Pratap is the BJP candidate in Rae Bareli and the SP-BSP alliance has not put up a candidate against the former Congress president. Unlike Lucknow, Rae Bareli has been a stronghold of Congress party, with Sonia Gandhi bagging the last four Lok Sabha constituency terms in a row. Even though Gandhi has not been able to campaign due to her health issues, the scales still tilt in her favour. Priyanka Gandhi has taken the responsibility to campaign on behalf of her mother Sonia. Dinesh Pratap Singh is expected to have a tough time in the polls.
Some other notable inclusions among the big names are Mehbooba Mufti, who is pitted against Congress Ghulam Ahmad Mir and BJP’s Sofi Youssaf in Anantnag constituency of Jammu and Kashmir. Former J&K CM and PDP leader Mufti is a popular face in Jammu and Kashmir but her tussle with BJP in the past may have affected her image among voters.
Current Union leader Jayant Sinha is going to contest in Hazaribagh constituency of Jharkhand. He is pitted against Congress’ Gopal Sahu, who is fighting the Lok Sabha Elections for the first time. In 2014, Jayant Sinha won the elections over his then Congress opponent Saurabh Narayan Singh with over 15 lakh votes.
