The stage is set for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections as several parties from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have announced their candidates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already gave a ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ for the NDA in the upcoming elections. On the other hand, the opposition bloc is seeking to stop Modi from getting a third term in office.
The candidates announcement has already set stage for a high-octane contest this election summer. Here are some key contests to look out for:-
Narendra Modi vs Ajay Rai (Varanasi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting the election from Varanasi, facing Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai. The latter had challenged Modi in 2014 and 2019 as well, but had secured the third spot. In the 2019 election, PM Modi had defeated his nearest rival Shalini Yadav from the Samajwadi Party by a margin of over four lakh votes.
Rai had also contested election against PM Modi in 2014, when the BJP stalwart had defeated Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar vs Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram)
Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded against three-time MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress veteran has represented this constituency since 2009 when he had entered politics.
Abhijit Gangopadhyay vs Debangshu Bhattacharya (Tamluk)
One of the most watched seat in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections is expected to be the Tamluk constituency, where BJP has fielded former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, and the Trinamool Congress has chosen its social media cell head Debangshu Bhattacharya. BJP’s Gangopadhyay has faced criticism by rival parties for resigning from his post and joining politics, with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee dubbing the former as a “BJP babu who was sitting on the bench”. The TMC candidate is the creator of famous ‘Khela Hobe’ song, which became the war cry of West Bengal’s ruling party in 2021 assembly election.
K Surendran vs Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad)
Kerala BJP chief K Surendran has been fielded from the Wayanad seat against incumbent MP and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, making it one of the most high-profile battles in the Lok Sabha elections. Surendran was fielded from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat in 2019, but lost to the rival candidate. In the previous election, Rahul Gandhi had won the Wayanad seat by a record margin, but ended up losing the Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury vs Yusuf Pathan
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will be contesting the general elections from his stronghold Baharampur constituency in West Bengal. He faces challenge from former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who has been fielded from the Trinamool Congress. While the seat is a Congress stronghold, TMC is hopeful that Pathan’s influence as a member of 2007 and 2011 World Cup winning squad will stage an upset.