Lok Sabha Phase 3: 11 states, 92 seats, 1300 hopefuls ... who are the biggies, what are the isssues?

With 92 seats spread across 11 states and Union Territories, the intense campaign for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which saw the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA bloc fiercely attacking each other on issues like reservations and sexual harassment charges against JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, came to an end on Sunday evening.

The BJP has a lot on the line in this round of elections because it won a resounding majority of these seats in 2019—including every one in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh—which will be decided on May 7.

Leading the BJP’s attack was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who demanded in writing from the Congress that it not award Muslims the quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

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The BJP was accused by the Congress and its allies of attempting to alter the Constitution and eliminate reservations. The main opposition party asked the BJP to clarify its stand on the matter in addition to promising to lift the 50% reservation quota.

Along with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge concentrated on problems of social justice, unemployment, “injustice” to farmers, and purportedly favorable treatment to certain businessmen.

Rahul Gandhi restated the Congress’s pledge to carry out a caste census and economic survey if elected to power, while the BJP leaders attacked the Congress on matters of wealth redistribution and inheritance tax, accusing it of engaging in appeasement politics.

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There are more than 1300 contenders, about 120 of whom are female. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Amit Shah (Gandhinagar), and SP Singh Baghel (Agra) are among the prominent figures.

This time, former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha, have also entered the Lok Sabha election race. On May 7, decisions will also be made about the futures of former Karnataka chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri) and Badruddin Ajmal (Dhubri).

In Uttar Pradesh, several relatives of Mulayam Singh Yadav are also running in this phase.

Prime Minister Modi attacked the “dynastic politics” of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, claiming that while their alliance partners only work for their own families, he is creating a better future for the country’s future generations. Modi made these remarks during two rallies he addressed on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh and afterwards visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Referring to himself and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, “We don’t have children. We are working for your children.” With the BJP bagging Surat unopposed, 25 seats in Prime Minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat will go to polls on May 7, besides 11 seats in Maharashtra, 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the remaining 14 of the 28 in Karnataka, seven in Chhattisgarh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, five in Bihar, four each in Assam and West Bengal, and all two in Goa.

The election in the Anatnag-Rajouri seat has been postponed until the sixth phase for logistical reasons, while the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2 seats) will also hold elections in the third phase.

Congressmen Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have taken aim at the BJP over claims that Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, the head of the JD(S) and an ally of the BJP, was sexually harassed.

Retaliating, BJP leader Amit Shah and others questioned the reason behind the Karnataka Congress government’s decision to postpone taking action against Revanna. Sept. of last year saw the JD(S) become a part of the BJP-led NDA.

Prajwal Revanna, the JD(S)-BJP coalition candidate from the Hassan seat that went to polls on April 26, is the grandson of former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda. Shortly after a court here denied Prajwal’s request for anticipatory bail, his father, H D Revanna, was taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team on Saturday in connection with a kidnapping case including claims of sexual abuse against Prajwal.

The Congress has come under fire from the BJP for ‘appeasement politics’, ‘Love Jihad’ occurrences, and claimed inability to “contain anti-national activities”.

The party officials brought up the March 1 bombing at a cafe here, the April 18 murder of 23-year-old Neha Hiremath by Fayaz Khondunaik on a Hubballi college campus, and the raising of pro-Pakistan slogans in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha on February 27.

In Maharashtra, where 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats will go to polls, a riveting contest is on in Baramati between Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar, wife of the veteran leader’s estranged nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

In Gujarat, BJP’s Mukesh Dalal has already won from Surat unopposed after the nomination of Congress’ Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected over irregularities in the signature of proposers and other candidates withdrew.

On the last day of campaigning on Sunday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP state unit president CR Paatil and minister Harsh Sanghavi participated in motorcycle rallies. During the campaign, the BJP had to face the ire of the Kshatriya community over a remark made by Rupala in Rajkot.

Aam Aadmi Party, which is contesting from Bhavnagar and Bharuch, held rallies by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of jailed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, also held a roadshow in Bharuch.

Numerous roadshows and rallies marked the hectic campaign in Uttar Pradesh’s 10 constituencies of Sambhal, Hathras (SC), Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla and Bareilly.

The current phase is important for the Mulam Singh Yadav’s family, with Dimple Yadav aiming to retain the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat. Akshaya Yadav, son of Ram Gopal Yadav, is contesting from Firozabad, and Aditya Yadav is making his electoral debut from the Budaun Lok Sabha seat, In his rallies, Shah attacked Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that his party will have to take out a ‘Congress Dhoondho Yatra’ after June 4.

BJP leaders alleged that the Congress and SP leaders did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing it would alienate their vote bank.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav extensively campaigned for his party candidates in the third phase and attacked the BJP over reservation and other issues.

The BJP is hoping for a clean sweep in Madhya Pradesh, which sends 29 members to Lok Sabha. At a rally held in Morena, Modi had claimed that then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi abolished the inheritance tax apparently to save the money, which he was supposed to get after Indira Gandhi’s death, from going to the government.

In an emotional reply, Priyanka hit back at the PM, saying her father inherited “martyrdom” and not wealth from Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated.

Voting will be held in Bihar’s Araria, Supaul, Jhanjharpur, Madhepura and Khagaria, all of which are currently held by the ruling NDA. The NDA’s heavy artillery was spearheaded by Prime Minister Modi, the biggest crowd-puller of the BJP-led coalition. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, an NDA partner who heads the JD(U), held rallies and roadshows in all the five constituencies.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav campaigned intensively in all five seats, including Khagaria and Jhanjharpur, which his party is not contesting. CPI(M) bigwigs remained conspicuous by their absence in Khagaria, the lone seat the party is contesting in Bihar.

Despite heavy rains in Assam on the last day, both ruling and opposition parties engaged in a vigorous campaign in Dhubri, Barpeta, Kokrajhar (ST), and Guwahati.

The BJP campaign was focused on highlighting the various development schemes of both the central and state governments. The opposition parties focused on issues like citizenship, connectivity and unemployment.

(With agency inputs)