seats

1. In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, 49 seats across 8 states and Union Territories will be contested.
2. By the end of this phase, polling will have concluded for 428 seats.
3. 115 seats will remain to be contested in the final two phases.


New Delhi, May 19: In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, 49 seats across 8 states and Union Territories will be up for grabs. By the end of this phase, polling will have concluded for 428 seats, leaving 115 seats to be contested in the remaining two phases.

Notably, Maharashtra will wrap up its polling with the last 13 seats, including all six in Mumbai, going to the polls.

In the 2019 elections, the parties now part of the Opposition INDIA bloc and the ruling NDA won six and 34 of these 49 seats, respectively.

The BJP alone secured 32 seats, while the Congress managed to win only one seat, Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

The remaining nine seats were claimed by regional parties: seven by the undivided Shiv Sena and two by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Analyzing vote shares from the 2019 elections, the NDA parties garnered 42.85% of the votes, compared to the 28.83% vote share of the INDIA bloc parties (excluding votes for the then-united Shiv Sena and NCP).

In the 2014 elections, the NDA won 29 of these seats, with the INDIA bloc parties securing 10, and the remaining 10 seats going to other parties.


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The Candidates

On Monday, a total of 695 candidates are contesting. The BSP has the highest number of candidates at 46, followed by the BJP with 40, and the Congress with 18. Maharashtra, with its final 13 seats voting, has the most candidates in this phase at 264, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 144 candidates in 14 seats and West Bengal with 88 candidates in seven seats.

Among the 159 candidates facing criminal cases, Maharashtra leads with 62, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 29, and West Bengal with 21. Nashik in Maharashtra and Chatra in Jharkhand have the highest number of candidates with criminal cases, at 10 and 9 respectively. Among major parties, the BJP has the most candidates with criminal cases at 19 (48% of its nominees), followed by the Congress with eight (44%), and the BSP with eight (17%).

Party-Wise Candidates with Criminal Cases

  • BJP: 19 (48% of party candidates)
  • Congress: 8 (44%)
  • BSP: 8 (17%)
  • SP: 5 (50%)
  • VBA: 4 (40%)
  • Shiv Sena (UBT): 3 (38%)
  • TMC: 3 (43%)
  • Shiv Sena: 3 (50%)

Wealthiest Candidates

Of the 227 crorepati candidates, Maharashtra has the most at 87, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 53, and West Bengal with 20. Among the parties, the BJP has the highest number of crorepati candidates in this phase at 36 (90% of its candidates), followed by the BSP at 20 (43%) and the Congress at 15 (83%). Five of the 10 wealthiest candidates in this phase are from the BJP, including two of the top three.

Richest Candidates

  1. Anurag Sharma (BJP): Contesting from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh | Assets: Rs 202.08 crore
  2. Nilesh Bhagwan Sambare (Independent): Contesting from Bhiwandi, Maharashtra | Assets: Rs 116.1 crore
  3. Piyush Goyal (BJP): Contesting from Mumbai North, Maharashtra | Assets: Rs 110.95 crore

Youngest and Oldest Candidates

  • Youngest: Five candidates aged 25, including three from minor parties, one Independent, and one from the SP.
  • Oldest: Zunjar Mhasuji Avhad, an 82-year-old Bahujan Republican Socialist Party candidate contesting in Nashik, Maharashtra.

Key Battlegrounds in Phase 5

  • Maharashtra: 48 seats total (last 13 in Phase 5), with 9.14 crore electors and 12.87 lakh first-time voters.

Notable Contests

  1. Baramulla, J&K: Former CM Omar Abdullah (NC) vs. Sajad Gani Lone (People’s Conference) vs. Mir Mohammad Fayaz (PDP) | 2019 winner: NC
  2. Amethi, UP: Union Minister Smriti Irani (BJP) vs. Gandhi family aide Kishori Lal Sharma (Congress) | 2019 winner: BJP
  3. Rae Bareli, UP: Rahul Gandhi (Congress) vs. MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh (BJP) | 2019 winner: Congress
  4. Hooghly, West Bengal: Locket Chatterjee (BJP) vs. Rachna Banerjee (TMC) vs. Manadip Ghosh (CPM) | 2019 winner: BJP
  5. Mumbai North, Maharashtra: Union Minister Piyush Goyal (BJP) vs. Bhushan Patil (Congress) | 2019 winner: BJP