2019 general elections: 968 candidates in fray in 6th phase polling

The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls – being conducted in seven phases – in 59 constituencies spread across seven States will be held Sunday amid tight security.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Digvijay Singh and BJP’s Pragya Singh Thakur are among the 968 candidates in the fray.

Voting will be held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10, in Haryana, eight seats each in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, seven, in Delhi and four, in Jharkhand. Bharatiya Janata Party had won 44 of the 59 in the last general elections.

In UP’s Sultanpur, BJP has fielded Maneka Gandhi instead of her son and sitting MP Varun Gandhi who won in 2014 by a margin of over one lakh votes. She is contesting against BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh and Congress’, Dr Sanjay Sinh.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is in the race from the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. He is pitted against BJP’s Nirahua, a Bhojpuri film star, while Congress has not fielded any candidate against him.

Madhya Pradesh is expected to witness a tough battle in the eight constituencies including Bhopal and Guna. BJP has fielded terror-accused Pragya Singh Thakur against former State chief minister Digvijay Singh in Bhopal.

Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia is seeking another term from Guna, which he has been representing in the Lok Sabha since 2002. Scindia, who had won in 2014 by over one lakh votes, will face BJP’s K P Yadav.

Among the seven seats in the national capital, the contest in North-East Delhi, East Delhi and South Delhi seats is being keenly watched. In 2014, BJP had swept all the seven seats.