The Lok Sabha elections 2024 will get underway on April 19 and the seven-phase polls will conclude on June 1. Rajasthan will vote in two phases on April 19 and April 26, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4.
The state sends 25 parliamentarians to the lower house. Of the 25 seats, four of them are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and three for Scheduled Tribes (ST), while the rest are unreserved. In the last two elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has registered a landslide victory in Rajasthan, securing all the seats in 2014 polls and 24 of the 25 seats in 2019.
During the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly polls, the BJP dethroned the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state, winning 115 seats and restricting the grand old party to 70. The BJP will be looking forward to maintaining its strong position in Rajasthan this time, while the Congress is eyeing to improve its performance in the state.
Here's a look at the keenly watched Lok Sabha seats in the state:
The Jodhpur seat has been a stronghold for both the BJP and Congress from time to time. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat won from this seat in the previous two general elections. Meanwhile, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's own Assembly segment also falls within this parliamentary constituency. Last time, Shekhawat defeated Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot by a margin of 2.74 lakh votes.
This time, Shekhawat is eyeing a third term from Jodhpur. He is pitted against Congress' Karan Singh Unchiriya.
Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party registered a win from this Jat-dominated seat in the last elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this seat is expected to witness a keen contest as the BJP has fielded former Congress MP Jyoti Mirdha, the granddaughter of Congress veteran Nathuram Mirdha. The grand old party, meanwhile, is reportedly in touch with the former BJP ally, Beniwal, for an electoral understanding.
Known as a coaching hub for medical and engineering college entrance exams, the Kota seat has been held by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla since 2014. Last time, Birla secured a win by a margin of 2.79 lakh votes. The BJP and Congress are yet to finalise their candidates for this seat for the 2024 elections.
Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, who recently left the Congress, will be representing the BJP from this seat in the 2024 polls. The Congress is expected to ally with the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) to counter the BJP. In recent times, the BJP, which has three MLAs from here, has been gaining influence in this tribal belt.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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