India Votes In 1st Phase of Lok Sabha Polls: BJP vs INDIA Bloc, 10 Points

The first phase of the 7-phase election will involve voting for 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories. The states with the largest number of seats being contested in this phase are Assam and Maharashtra, each with five seats, followed by Bihar with four seats, West Bengal with three seats, and Manipur, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh with two or one seat each. In addition to the Lok Sabha, four states – Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh – will also elect new assemblies.

In the last election, the NDA won 353 seats, with 303 of those seats being won by the BJP. The Opposition bloc, INDIA, has gained unity following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and is set to contest the elections after facing disarray in the run-up to the polls. However, there are instances of various parties flouting the rule of one-on-one contests, which was guaranteed to challenge the BJP.

The BJP is aiming to win 22 out of the 25 seats in the northeast, establish dominance in the Hindi heartland and other regions, and make inroads into states where it traditionally faced challenges. It is also hoping to gain ground in territories previously held by the Congress and make an impact in the southern states, such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Congress is expressing confidence in improving its performance in the northern states, including traditional BJP strongholds like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The election will see the participation of several prominent leaders and key figures, adding to the anticipation of this phase. In the 2019 elections, the UPA won 45 of the 102 seats while the NDA won 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of delimitation.

The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4th.