The commencement of the fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election is slated for this forthcoming Monday, May 13th, wherein balloting is scheduled across 96 Parliamentary Constituencies distributed across nine states and one union territory.
All electoral constituencies within the twin Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are poised for voting during this phase. A total of 1717 contenders are in contention for representation, among whom are several notable political figures.
Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief of the Samajwadi Party, is contesting from the Kannauj parliamentary constituency situated across five assembly seats spanning three districts. Recognized as the aromatic nucleus of India, the 2024 electoral tussle for Kannauj has intensified following Akhilesh Yadav’s eleventh-hour entry into the fray, displacing his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as the SP nominee.
Historically, the seat has been a bastion for the SP since 1998. However, the electoral landscape witnessed a seismic shift in 2019 when the BJP clinched victory. Its candidate Subrat Pathak secured triumph by a slender margin of approximately 12,000 votes over Akhilesh Yadav’s spouse, Dimple Yadav. In the preceding 2014 elections, Dimple emerged victorious in the Kannauj constituency with 489,164 votes, closely trailed by Subrat Pathak with 469,257 votes.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Bengal chief of the Congress party, represents the Baharampur constituency in West Bengal. He will confront TMC’s candidate and former Indian cricket stalwart Yusuf Pathan, along with BJP’s Nirmal Chandra Saha during the fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Election. This constituency encompasses seven assembly segments, all ensconced within Murshidabad district.
Baharampur has long served as Chowdhury’s stronghold since 1999, albeit witnessing a reduction in his victory margin from 356,277 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to a mere 79,694 in 2019. The contest is poised to garner significant attention, as Chowdhury has been subject to vociferous criticism from the ruling TMC, with its general secretary Abhishek Banerjee attributing blame solely to him for sabotaging the Congress-TMC seat-sharing agreement in the state.
Mahua Moitra, a prominent figure in the Trinamool Congress, is contesting from the Krishnanagar constituency in West Bengal, which comprises seven assembly segments. Krishnanagar has functioned as a steadfast bastion for the TMC since 2014. In the 2019 elections, Mahua Moitra secured victory with 614,872 votes, while BJP’s Kalyan Chaubey amassed 551,654 votes, and CPI(M)’s Dr. Shantanu Jha garnered 120,222 votes. Trinamool candidate Tapas Paul clinched the 2014 elections from this constituency.
The present electoral bout pits Moitra against BJP’s newcomer Amrita Roy, engendering significant intrigue. The firebrand leader, Moitra, finds herself slightly unsettled following her ousting from the Lok Sabha late last year amidst allegations of involvement in a cash-for-query imbroglio.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of AIMIM, stands for election in Hyderabad, Telangana. Hyderabad has long served as a bastion for the Majlis, with Asaduddin Owaisi securing victories since 2004, preceded by his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi’s dominion over the seat since 1984.
Owaisi’s current contender is BJP’s Kompella Madhavi Latha, who recently attracted attention for her contentious bow-and-arrow gesture towards a mosque during an election rally in Hyderabad. BRS leader K T Rama Rao delivered a scathing rebuke aimed at Madhavi Latha, asserting that she was “ridiculing herself.”
The Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat encompasses Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta, Yakutpura, Malakpet, Goshamahal, Charminar, and Karwan Assembly constituencies. Apart from Goshamahal, where BJP’s T Raja Singh serves as the MLA, the remaining constituencies are under the purview of AIMIM.
The Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, a bastion of the YS family, is poised for a contentious electoral duel between two familial contenders. YS Sharmila Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Congress chief and daughter of former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy, is pitted against her cousin, YS Avinash Reddy, the incumbent YSRCP MP.
Simultaneous assembly elections are slated alongside the Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh on May 13th. In the Pulivendula assembly segment, nested within the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the incumbent Chief Minister and head of the ruling YSR Congress Party, is vying for a third consecutive triumph. However, his path to victory has encountered obstruction from none other than his estranged sister, Y S Sharmila.
Other notable candidates include BJP Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh, contesting from Burdwan-Durgapur, TMC luminary Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol, Union Minister and BJP stalwart Giriraj Singh from Begusarai, and Union Minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda from Khunti.