India\u2019s election is past the halfway mark, with campaigning between the main political parties heating up just like the soaring temperatures across the country.<\/p>\n
Thousands of candidates from various parties and independent hopefuls are seeking the attention of all the eligible voters.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to extend his decade in office by another five years, has been criticized by the opposition for his aggressive and polarizing speeches. Challenger Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress (INC), which is in alliance with more than 20 parties, is attempting to stop Modi\u2019s juggernaut.<\/p>\n
The once-in-five-year festival of democracy in India has actors, sports stars and millionaires battling it out alongside career politicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the 543 seats in the parliament, here are some of the most keenly watched contests:<\/p>\n
\nAMETHI, WAYANAD
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The suspense over senior INC leader Rahul Gandhi\u2019s choice of a second constituency has finally ended. And it is not Amethi, the family bastion he\u2019d previously won in three elections before losing to Smriti Irani of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019. Uttar Pradesh, had long been a Gandhi family stronghold, with his parents and an uncle also previously voted to power there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Suspense ends, twist remains: Rahul to contest from Raebareli, family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi LS seat<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
He will instead contest from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh state, as well as in Wayanad, a district in the picturesque southern state of Kerala, which he won the last time. <\/p>\n
From Amethi, the Congress has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, who has been with the party for decades.<\/p>\n
The BJP\u2019s Irani is contesting once again. The election will be held on May 20, in the fifth phase of the seven-phase election. <\/p>\n
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\nRAEBARELI
\n<\/h5>\nSonia Gandhi, the former president of the Congress party, who\u2019s won the last five elections from Raebareli, decided to stay out of the fray this time. The constituency, about 60 kilometers (37.282 miles) west of Amethi, has long been dominated by the Gandhi family, with her late mother-in-law and former prime minister Indira Gandhi winning the seat thrice.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Am entrusted with my family\u2019s \u2018karmabhoomi\u2019, Rahul Gandhi, on skipping Amethi for Rae Bareli<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Her son, Rahul, would be hoping to retain the family borough. His sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was rumored to make her electoral debut in the city, won\u2019t be contesting the elections.<\/p>\n
Standing against him is BJP\u2019s Dinesh Pratap Singh who lost against Sonia Gandhi in 2019. The constituency will vote on May 20.<\/p>\n
\nLADAKH
\n<\/h5>\nThe BJP is trying to score a hat-trick of wins here, even as it battles rising local angst.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: New Delhi-based bureaucracy can\u2019t understand complexities unique to Ladakh: Sonam Wangchuk<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Part of the Jammu & Kashmir, broken into two federally controlled territories after Modi\u2019s government scrapped its autonomy in 2019, Ladakh is demanding statehood. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has rallied people to press for it and is seeking action to protect the fragile ecology of the strategically crucial region, nestled between Tibet and Pakistan. The BJP has picked a new candidate, dropping 2019 winner Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who is in open rebellion against the party. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM
\n<\/h5>\n. Congress\u2019 Shashi Tharoor, a former minister and undersecretary-general of the United Nations, is vying for a fourth straight term. The BJP has fielded junior technology minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, hoping to unsettle Tharoor and win a seat in a state that has traditionally shown little interest in the party\u2019s right-wing politics.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: will shashi tharoor trump again in thiruvananthapuram<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nCOIMBATORE
\n<\/h5>\nBJP has fielded former police officer K. Annamalai against strong challengers from regional parties. Annamalai, who\u2019s campaigned close to 10,000 km on foot, has garnered popularity in recent months. Modi, has visited the state six times this year to bolster the party\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Can Annamalai\u2019s popularity translate into votes for the BJP?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nKRISHNANAGAR
\n<\/h5>\nBJP has left no stone unturned to win a majority of the state\u2019s seats. Standing in their way is firebrand regional leader Mamata Banerjee. Her party\u2019s candidate from the constituency is former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Mahua Moitra . Moitra was expelled from parliament last year on allegations of \u2018unethical conduct.\u2019 The BJP has fielded Amrita Roy, a member of the town\u2019s erstwhile royal family. The constituency is famous for its globally-acclaimed clay models.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Mohua Moitra hopes to avenge her Parliament expulsion with huge victory<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nBARAMATI
\n<\/h5>\nSharad Pawar\u2019s daughter, Supriya Sule is seeking a fourth straight term from the seat. The contest, this time, is expected to be a tough one. Pawar\u2019s nephew Ajit Pawar is pitting his wife Sunetra Ajit Pawar against Sule. Ajit had split his uncle\u2019s party to side with the BJP and was made a deputy chief minister in the state government. Since then, both Ajit and Sunetra\u2019s names have been cleared by the country\u2019s investigative agencies in cases related to multibillion-dollar scams.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Political thriller unfolds in Sharad Pawar\u2019s Baramati <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nBARMER
\n<\/h5>\nA young, independent candidate is making waves in the desert town of Barmer in the western state of Rajasthan. The BJP won this constituency in the last two elections. Ravindra Singh Bhati, a 26-year-old student leader who sprung a surprise by winning in last year\u2019s Rajasthan assembly elections.<\/p>\n
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- \nAlso read: Congress throws down the gauntlet in Rajasthan<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com<\/a><\/p>\n
- \nAlso read: Congress throws down the gauntlet in Rajasthan<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: Political thriller unfolds in Sharad Pawar\u2019s Baramati <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: Mohua Moitra hopes to avenge her Parliament expulsion with huge victory<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: Can Annamalai\u2019s popularity translate into votes for the BJP?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: will shashi tharoor trump again in thiruvananthapuram<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: New Delhi-based bureaucracy can\u2019t understand complexities unique to Ladakh: Sonam Wangchuk<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \nAlso read: Am entrusted with my family\u2019s \u2018karmabhoomi\u2019, Rahul Gandhi, on skipping Amethi for Rae Bareli<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n