Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

One should not allow politics to enter home, Ajit Pawar, who is currently on a statewide ‘Jan Samman Yatra’, told Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra.

As part of his mass outreach programme ahead of the state assembly polls, the deputy CM has been promoting the government’s ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana’, aimed at providing financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to women.

In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Sunetra Pawar unsuccessfully contested the election from Baramati seat against sitting NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, daughter of Ajit Pawar’s uncle Sharad Pawar.

Sunetra Pawar was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.

In July last year, Ajit Pawar and a number of other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded Sharad Pawar.

The Election Commission later declared the Ajit-led group as the real NCP.

“I love all my sisters. One shouldn’t allow politics to enter homes. I made a mistake in fielding Sunetra against my sister. This shouldn’t have happened. But the parliamentary board (of NCP) made a decision. Now I feel it was wrong,” Ajit Pawar said.

Asked if he will visit his cousin on Raksha Bandhan next week, the NCP leader said he is currently on a tour and if he and his sisters are at one place that day, he would surely meet them.

The deputy CM said he has decided to speak only on development and welfare schemes for farmers, women and youth and not respond to criticism against him.

Ajit Pawar also said Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and head of their family and he would not respond to any criticism made by the latter.

On the senior Pawar being targeted by the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena, the NCP leader said the Mahayuti allies should also understand what they speak.

“I voice my opinion when we sit together,” he added.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, in New York. The billionaire congratulated Mr. Modi on the Lok Sabha election win
| Photo Credit: PTI

American tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said he is looking forward to his companies doing “exciting work” in India as he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic election victory.

Mr. Modi will be administered the oath of office on June 9, his third consecutive term as Prime Minister.

“Congratulations @narendramodi on your victory in the world’s largest democratic elections! Looking forward to my companies doing exciting work in India,” Mr. Musk said in a post on X.

The congratulatory message came two months after the CEO of the electric carmaker Tesla and microblogging platform X in April postponed his proposed visit to India due to “very heavy Tesla obligations”.

Mr. Musk — who was expected to be in India on April 21 and 22 and scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi — later wrote on X that he is looking forward to coming to India later this year.

In June last year, Mr. Musk met with Mr. Modi during the latter’s U.S. visit and stated that he planned to visit India in 2024 while expressing confidence that Tesla would enter the Indian market soon.

His proposed visit had raised expectations that he would announce plans for electric car maker Tesla to set up shop in the country, along with his satcom venture Starlink.

It was also expected that Mr. Musk would announce plans for Tesla to set up its manufacturing unit in India and investments could be to the tune of billions of dollars and the way forward for selling Tesla electric cars in India at the earliest.

Not just electric cars, he is also eyeing the Indian market for his satellite internet business Starlink, for which regulatory approvals are awaited.

Mr. Musk had in the past sought import duty reduction in India for it to be able to sell Tesla cars in the country.

Mr. Musk’s plan to visit India in April came on the heels of the government announcing a new electric vehicle policy, under which import duty concessions will be given to companies setting up manufacturing units in the country with a minimum investment of $500 million, a move aimed at attracting major global players like Tesla.

New Delhi:

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is expected to edge the contest for Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, according to exit polls published Saturday evening. The BJP and its coalition – breakaway factions of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP – is expected to win at least 22 seats (according to ABP News-C Voter) and a maximum of 41 (Jan Ki Baat’s prediction).

The opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Congress and including the original Sena and NCP groups, led by ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, can expect a best haul of 23-25 seats (so says ABP News-C Voter) and as little as 13 (data from India News-D Dynamics).

Health warning: Exit polls often get it wrong.

In the 2019 election the BJP and the (then undivided) Shiv Sena were dominant, winning 23 and 18 seats respectively, including a clean sweep of Mumbai’s six constituencies and registering other key wins like Sangli, Ratnagiri-Sindhudhurg, Beed, Latur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Nagpur.

The Congress – decimated nationally for a second consecutive election – got just one seat; Suresh Dhanorkar romped to a surprisingly easy win from Chandrapur. Mr Pawar’s NCP picked up four seats, including the family bastion of Baramati that was won by his daughter, Supriya Sule.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM got four seats and the final constituency (Amravati) was won by an independent candidate – Navneet Kaur Rana. Ms Rana has since joined the BJP.

The battle for Maharashtra – which sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh (80) – will be among the most-watched when votes are counted on Tuesday.

Overall the BJP has been tipped to register a big win and deliver a third consecutive term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The saffron party, however, is likely to fall short of its ambitious targets – 370+ for itself and over 400 (‘abki baar, 400 paar’ was the slogan) with support from its allies.

READ | Modi Hat-Trick, Powered By South, Bengal, Odisha: Exit Polls

The opposition INDIA bloc – formed last year, in Mumbai, in fact, to halt the BJP and its election-winning machinery – has been handed a stern reality check. Five major exit polls say the group will fall well short of the 285 seats predicted by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to NDTV this week.

An aggregate of exit polls suggests the NDA will get 367 seats and INDIA 143. Individually, the BJP will get 327 – 24 more than the 2019 – and the Congress 52, which is how much it got last time.

New Delhi:

As the seven-phase Lok Sabha election that started on April 19 draws to an end, a total of 904 candidates are hoping for a good show in the last phase of polling today. Fifty-seven seats across eight states and Union Territories are voting today. Among the candidates are several heavyweights from across the political aisle.

Here is a look at some key candidates in this phase

Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Modi, who is eyeing a third term, is the BJP’s candidate from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, a seat he won in the 2014 and the 2019 polls. The eastern UP seat is among the most high-profile constituencies of the country, now that it is represented by the Prime Minister. Since the 1990s, the BJP has lost Varanasi only once – in the 2004 polls. Last time, Prime Minister Modi won the seat with a margin of 4.79 lakh votes. This time, the INDIA bloc has fielded UP Congress chief Ajay Rai against the BJP’s most prominent candidate. Mr Rai had contested from Varanasi in 2019 too, but finished third.

Anurag Thakur: The country’s Information and Broadcasting minister, who also holds the sports portfolio, is contesting from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur seat, which he has won four times in a row. The 50-year-old minister, who is among the prominent voices in the Narendra Modi government, is up against former Congress MLA Satpal Raizada. There are 17 Assembly segments under the Hamirpur parliamentary seat, six of which are held by the Congress. In fact, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri are MLAs from two of these segments. So, the Congress is going all-out to make the contest tough for Mr Thakur, who won in 2019 by a margin of nearly 4 lakh votes.

Kangana Ranaut: The Queen actor is making her election debut from Himachal’s Mandi, a seat currently held by Pratibha Singh, state Congress chief and wife of six-time Chief Minister, late Virbhadra Singh. The 37-year-old actor, who is from Himachal, joined the BJP shortly before the election. Mandi has been a stronghold of Virbhadra Singh’s family, but the BJP’s Ram Swaroop Sharma won it in 2014 and 2019. His death in 2021 forced a bye-election, in which Pratibha Singh was elected. This time, Pratibha Singh’s son and state minister Vikramaditya Singh is the Congress’s candidate in the high-profile contest.

Abhishek Banerjee: The nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and No. 2 in Trinamool Congress, Abhishek Banerjee is contesting from Diamond Harbour, a seat he has won twice. The Trinamool general secretary, who has now emerged as the second most prominent face of the party, is up against the CPM’s Pratikur Rahaman and BJP’s Abhijit Das in this Lok Sabha contest. Mr Banerjee won the 2019 polls by a margin of 3.21 lakh votes.

Misa Bharti: Rajya Sabha MP and eldest daughter of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, Misa Bharti is contesting from Bihar’s Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat this time as INDIA Opposition bloc’s candidate. Ms Bharti’s earlier attempts to win the constituency in 2014 and 2019 had failed as the BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav, once a close confidant of Lalu Prasad Yadav, tasted victory. This time, too, Ms Bharti is up against Ram Kripal Yadav.

Ravi Kishan: The actor-politician has been retained by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, which he won in the 2019 election. The Gorakhpur seat is a BJP stronghold and has been with the party for over three decades now – BJP’s firebrand leader and current Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath won the seat five times in a row. Samajwadi Party’s Praveen Kumar Nishad had pulled off a surprise win in the 2018 bypolls, but was defeated by Ravi Kishan the next year. Praveen Kumar Nishad is now with the BJP. This time, Samajwadi Party has chosen Kajal Nishad, also an actor, for the big fight against Ravi Kishan.

New Delhi:

The seventh and final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election begins today.

Fifty-seven seats across seven states – 13 in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, nine in Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, and three in Jharkhand, as well as Chandigarh – will complete a mammoth exercise that began 55 days ago – on April 19.

Ahead of this phase of voting ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched a final attack on the BJP, writing a letter urging voters to make the most of a “final chance to ensure our democracy and Constitution are protected from repeated assaults by a despotic regime”.

PM’s Varanasi Bastion

Much of the focus in this phase will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat of Varanasi in UP, which he is hoping to win for a third straight time. 

Mr Modi romped to victory in 2019 with nearly 6.8 lakh votes and more than 63 per cent of the vote share. He faces the Congress’ Ajay Rai.

The Prime Minister filed his nomination on May 14 accompanied by a phalanx of senior leaders from the BJP and its partners, including party boss JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma. This was after a flashy six km roadshow the evening before.

READ | PM Files Varanasi Nomination, Then A Massive Show Of Strength

Mr Rai has contested each of the past three elections from the temple town; the past two as a Congress leader and the 2009 poll as a member of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.

His best return was in 2019 – 1.5 lakh votes and around 14 per cent of the vote share.

Hindus make up around 75 per cent of Varanasi’s demographic and Muslims 20 per cent. 

An estimated 10 per cent are from Scheduled Tribes while 0.7 are from Scheduled Castes. The rural-urban split of the population is 65 to 35 per cent.

Away from Varanasi, the spotlight will be split between Punjab and Bengal.

Battle For Punjab

There is an intriguing AAP vs Congress vs BJP battle in Punjab. The AAP and Congress are, on paper, part of the INDIA opposition bloc and are contesting as allies in neighbouring Delhi.

In Punjab, however, the two are ‘enemies’, a strange state of affairs replicated in Bengal, where the Congress and the Trinamool are rivals despite being INDIA members.

The ‘friendly fire’ contests have been criticised by the BJP, which has said the bloc’s failure to agree seat-share deals underlines its unstable nature and makes it a poor choice.

The battle for Punjab is complicated by the Akali Dal – a former BJP ally that walked out over farmers’ protests from 2020 that continue to simmer – fighting independently too.

In 2019 the Congress – then led by ex-Chief Minister Amarinder Singh – got eight seats. 

The Akalis and BJP (then allies) got two each and the AAP got one. 

Fast-forward three years and the AAP thumped the Congress in the state poll, winning 92 of 117 seats. A faction-ridden Congress got just 18, the Akalis three and the BSP got one.

Significantly, the BJP contested 73 and won just two. This was against the backdrop of farmers’ protests, which rumbles on to this day, suggesting it might struggle this time too.

Rumble In Bengal

Only nine of Bengal’s 42 seats will vote today. However, these include the prestigious Kolkata North and South seats and Diamond Harbour, which was won in 2014 and 2019 by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

Diamond Harbour was previously a CPIM bastion; the party held it from 1967 to 2004.

The Kolkata seats were also won by the Trinamool.

The South seat is Ms Banerjee’s bastion, which she held from 1991 till 2011; this was when she was elected as the MLA from Bhabinipur and quit her MP post to become chief minister.

Lucknow:

Two people, including a 17-year-old, died in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda today after a Toyota Fortuner SUV hit a bike. The SUV belongs to the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of six-time MP and former wrestling boss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made national headlines last after the country’s top wrestlers accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. A Delhi court recently framed charges in the case against him. The allegations are believed to have cost him a poll ticket this time. The BJP instead fielded his son Karan, also a wrestling administrator. His other son, Pratik Bhushan Singh, is MLA from Gonda seat.

Visuals from the accident site show the SUV with “police escort” written on the rear windscreen, suggesting it is part of a VIP convoy. The car’s number is UP32HW1800 and it is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institute run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family. 

According to the FIR, the complainant Chanda Begum has said that around 9 am today, her 17-year-old son Rehan and 24-year-old nephew Shahzad were out on a bike to buy medicines when the speeding SUV coming from the opposite side hit the two-wheeler. Both died on the spot. A 60-year-old woman, identified as Sita Devi, was injured and has been hospitalised. A huge crowd gathered at the site after the accident, as family members of the victims demanded justice.

Police have arrested the driver and seized the SUV. There is no confirmation yet on whether Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade at the time of the accident. Senior police officer Radheysham Rai said the bodies of the victims have been sent for autopsy and further probe is on.

The car, with the number UP32HW1800, is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institure run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family.

Farman Khan, a relative of the victims, said there was blood on the road when they reached the spot and the youngsters had been taken to hospital. “Local residents told us Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy of 4-5 cars was passing through and the Fortuner hit the bike. When we went to the hospital, doctors told us our children are dead. Please get us justice. We cannot think,” he said.

India will become the world’s third-largest economy in the next 10 years of Narendra Modi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV while outlining the focus areas for the BJP-led dispensation.

Speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on what would be the BJP government’s economic priorities if it returns to power, Mr Shah said, “I think that between 2014 and 2024, Narendra Modi ji has laid a clear path for the government’s economic policy. Whether it is inflation or budgetary loss or infrastructure costs, we have put all these things on the right path. PSU balance sheets, share market’s situation and acceptability… earlier, there were 2.20 crore demat accounts, now there are 15 crores. Our base has widened.”

The government, he said, had made several policies to transform India into a manufacturing hub. There has been a push to make India a pioneer in emerging sectors such as green hydrogen, electrical vehicles, and ethanol production. “These sectors will drive the global economy for the next 25 years, and India has taken the lead as a pioneer. We will reap its benefits for 25 years. And in the sectors in which we fell behind in the past 25 years, such as semiconductor (manufacturing), defence production, space technology, start-ups, we are closing the gap.”

The Home Minister said the BJP government has given a “human touch to GDP”. “When 14 crore toilets are built, GDP goes up and 14 crore families live with dignity. When 10 crore households get cooking gas connection, 50 crore people live a smoke-free and healthy life. When the Nal Se Jal programme ensures fluoride-free water to 14 crore families, GDP goes up, but his health improves too,” he said.

It is the Narendra Modi government that has given 5 kg ration to every household in its fight against malnutrition, the Home Minister said. “Every household has received power supply, we have built 4 crore homes, we are going to build 3 crore more. So, besides making India a manufacturing hub, we have taken India’s market from Rs 60-70 crore to Rs 130 crore. Earlier, the purchasing power of the people had not developed. But by fulfilling their primary needs, the Narendra Modi government has helped their purchasing power evolve.”

Stressing that India’s economy is on the right path, Mr Shah said, “We will need to step up the speed and facilitate PLI (Production-Linked Incentives), flexible approach, free trade agreement, trade in rupees, free atmosphere for share markets. I am very optimistic that in Narendra Modi’s third term, India will become the third-largest economy of the world,” he said.

India went from the 11th largest economy to No. 5 in the past 10 years after “10 years of stagnancy” during the UPA era, Mr Shah said. “Atal ji left it at No. 11. Manmohan Singh kept it at 11. Modi ji took it from No. 11 to No. 5. I believe that in the third term, we will go to No. 3,” Mr Shah said.

Mr Shah is on the last leg of his extensive election campaign, as the Lok Sabha polls near the seventh and final phase, scheduled for Saturday. A total of 57 seats are going to polls in the last phase. Results will be out next Tuesday – June 4.

The BJP is set to win most Lok Sabha seats in eastern and southern India this time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. Mr Shah was speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on the campaign trail ahead of the last phase of the general election, scheduled to be held this Saturday.

Asked what are his expectations for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Mr Shah replied, “We will take a significant lead in Bengal too. We may win between 24 and 30 seats (out of 42). In Odisha, our target is 17 Lok Sabha seats (out of 21) and 75 Assembly seats (out of 147). In Telangana, we will win around 10 seats (out of 17). As for Andhra Pradesh, our alliance government is going to form the government and NDA is will win a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats too.”

Already the dominant force in the North and West, the BJP is pushing hard this time to expand its footprint in the East and South, where several states are ruled by the Opposition parties. Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are also voting in the Assembly polls alongside the general election. In Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government is seeking another term. As for Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has tied up with the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party to give a tough fight to the ruling YSR Congress.

“In the eastern zone, comprising Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, we will emerge as the biggest party. This is certain. And in the five states of the South, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we will win the biggest party among all states,” he said.

To a question on whether “Ab ki baar 400 par” was just a slogan or a target based on facts, Mr Shah replied, “When we won the 2014 elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership on the slogan of absolute majority, many political analysts from Delhi had said this was not possible. But we got absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of ‘300 plus’, people said it is not possible. People are saying the same this time. But I think they will believe us in the next election before ‘400 par’ is happening this time.”

A total of 57 Lok Sabha seats are going to polls in the seventh and last phase of the election on Saturday. Out of these, 26 are in the eastern states of Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

Bikram, Bihar:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today vowed to thwart alleged attempts to rob Dalits and backward classes of reservations by the INDIA bloc which he accused of “enslavement” and performing “mujra” for Muslim vote bank.

PM Modi launched the blistering attack at a rally in the Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency, about 40 kms from Patna, where he also blamed parties like RJD and Congress for SCs, STs and OBCs “being deprived of quotas” in minority institutions.

“Bihar is the land which has given a new direction to the fight for social justice. I wish to declare on its soil that I will foil the plans of INDIA bloc to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights and divert these to Muslims. They may remain enslaved and perform ‘mujra‘ to please their vote bank”, said the PM.

He also alleged that the opposition alliance was banking on the support of those who were indulging in “vote jihad” and referred to the Calcutta High Court order that struck down the West Bengal government’s decision to include a number of Muslim groups in the list of OBCs.

PM Modi was canvassing for two-term BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav and remarked sarcastically “many people have such a quarrel with Lord Ram that they may frown upon even the name of Ram Kripal”.

Referring to “Maner Ka laddoo”, a renowned sweetmeat named after a nearby locality, PM Modi said at the rally, “Have these ready for June 04… Your vote is too significant. It is not just to elect your MP but to choose your PM”.

The Lok Sabha election results will be out on June 4.

PM Modi also mocked RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, without mentioning him by name, saying “in the age of LED bulbs, they are moving around with a lantern that lit up only their house while keeping the entire Bihar in the dark”.

Notably, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti is contesting from Patliputra for the third time in a row.

He added, “India needs a PM who can do justice to the country’s might on the world stage. But INDIA bloc seems intent on playing musical chairs with the top post”.

PM Modi said scions of families heading Congress, RJD, NCP, Samajwadi Party and others were all pining for brief stints as Prime Minister.

The PM also promised the people that his next five years in power would ensure faster development for Bihar with better electricity supply and more pucca houses even as he slammed the previous Congress-led UPA government for lacking the resolve to provide free foodgrains to the common people.

Mocking at the predictions of many pollsters who have forecast a dip in the NDA’s tally, PM Modi said, “INDIA bloc has come up with its exit polls even before the elections conclude. Soon they might go back to crying hoarse on EVMs”.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A total of 889 candidates from six states and a Union Territory are going to polls in the sixth phase today. These include all the seven seats in national capital Delhi. Prominent candidates in this phase include former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar, now with the Congress, BJP veteran and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, four-time MP and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi and singer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari.

Here’s a look at key candidates in this phase:

Manoj Tiwari: The two-time MP from North-East Delhi is the only sitting MP in the national capital who has been retained by the BJP in this election. Mr Tiwari, who was a popular actor and singer in the Bhojpuri film industry before joining politics, has also served as the chief of Delhi’s BJP unit. In the 2019 election, he defeated former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by a margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. This time, with the AAP and the Congress joining ranks on the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, the BJP leader is up against the Congress’s Kanhaiya Kumar.

Kanhaiya Kumar: The 37-year-old first made headlines in 2016 when Delhi Police arrested him on sedition charges in connection with an event organised on JNU campus to mark the second anniversary of the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was convicted in the Parliament attack case. In the 2019 polls, he contested from Bihar’s Begusarai as a CPI candidate, but lost to BJP’s firebrand leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh by over 4 lakh votes. Now with the Congress, Mr Kumar is up against BJP’s Manoj Tiwari is North-East Delhi. Both candidates are vying for the votes of migrants from the Purvanchal region that covers easter Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar.

Bansuri Swaraj: The daughter of BJP stalwart and former External Affairs Minister, late Sushma Swaraj, is contesting from New Delhi seat, held by the BJP since 2014. Sitting MP and former Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi did not get a poll pass from the constituency this time. An alumnus of the University of Warwick and Oxford University, Bansuri Swaraj is a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court. In her poll debut, she is up against AAP’s Somnath Bharti, a three-time MLA from Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.

Maneka Gandhi: The four-term MP who has served as a minister in BJP governments led by both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi, Ms Gandhi is contesting from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where she is sitting MP. An estranged member of the Gandhi family, she is up against Ram Bhual Nishad, a Samajwadi Party leader backed by the Congress as part of INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing agreement. Ms Gandhi’s son Varun, sitting MP from Pilibhit, has been denied a ticket this time, apparently over several statements that did not reflect the BJP’s stand on key issues.

Manohar Lal Khattar: The former Haryana Chief Minister has been brought into the Lok Sabha arena by the BJP this time. He will be contesting from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, held by the BJP for the past decade. Mr Khattar replaces sitting MP Sanjay Bhatia. The 70-year-old former Chief Minister is up against the Congress’s Divyanshu Budhiraja, who leads the Youth Congress unit in Haryana. The Sharad Pawar faction of NCP and Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party – BJP’s former ally – have also fielded candidates.

Mehbooba Mufti: Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti is her party PDP’s candidate in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat this time. The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, which replaces the Anantnag seat after delimitation, was to go to polls on May 7, but the polling was deferred due to bad weather. Ms Mufti is up against National Conference candidate and religious leader Mian Altaf Larvi. The PDP and the National Conference are both members of the INDIA Opposition bloc, but the two are now contesting each other after the tie-up collapsed over seat-sharing.