Polling for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is scheduled to take place on May 6. So far, voters across 373 constituencies have cast their votes in the last four phases which were held on April 11, April 18, April 23 and April 29. In the fifth phase, the populace will vote for 51 seats spread across seven states, which will see a lot of high-profile candidates in fray.

The voting will take place in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The fifth round is crucial for all the stakeholders and with constituencies such as Raebareli and Amethi in limelight in this phase; the poll campaigns have been highly electrifying! Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Fifth Phase: Spotlight on BJP, Congress Leadership in UP. 

A lot of key candidates cut across party lines will be participating in Elections 2019. We at LatestLY bring you a list of five key candidates whose fate will be decided in the fifth phase of 2019 Elections.

Saran, Bihar – Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP)

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, it was Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rajiv Pratap Rudy who won the elections in Saran, Bihar. The BJP candidate defeated Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Rabri Devi – wife of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav – by a margin of over 40,000 votes.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is a Minister of State (MoS) Skill Development and Entrepreneurship currently, will square off against RJD’s Chandrika Rai in 2019 General Elections. It’ll be interesting to see if Rudy is able to win consecutive times, considering how the ‘Grand Alliance’ has shaped up in Bihar.

Ranchi, Jharkhand – Subodh Kant Sahay (Congress)

It will be a three-way contest in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Congress’ Subodh Kant Sahay will lock horns with BJP’s Sanjay Seth and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) in the constituency.

Subodh Kant Sahay had won from the constituency in 2009 General Elections by defeating BJP’ Ram Tahal Choudary; however, in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the tables turned and how. Ram Tahal defeated Subodh Kant Sahay by nearly 200,000 votes. Will Congress make a comeback or will BJP hold their seat?

Khunti, Jharkhand – Arjun Munda (BJP)

In the last eight elections that have taken place in Khunti, Jharkhand since 1989, the BJP has managed to win in 7 off them, except in 2004, where Congress won.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, it was Kariya Munda who won the elections by over 90,000 votes. Jharkand Party’s Anosh Ekka was second-placed; whereas, Congress’ Kalicharan Munda came third.

In 2019, the battle for Khunti is a three-way contest between Kalicharan Munda (Congress), Arjun Munda (BJP), and Indumati Mundu (BSP). Will Congress wrest a seat in BJP’s stronghold or will the latter retain, is going to be an intriguing watch.

Hazaribagh, Jharkhand – Jayant Sinha (BJP)

After winning the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections 2014 handsomely, with a vote margin of 150,000+ votes, the Union Minister would be eyeing to retain his seat in the constituency.

In the last eight Lok Sabha Elections that have taken place since 1989, the BJP has won it the maximum number of times, i.e. 6. Of it, Yashwant Sinha (former Finance Minister and Jayant Sinha’s father) has won from the constituency thrice.

It will be a three-way battle in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. BJP’s Jayant Sinha will be pitted against Congress’ Sahu, and CPI’s Bhubneshwar Prasad Mehta. Will BJP be able to maintain its impressive record or will it be dented?

Jaipur Rural, Rajasthan – Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (BJP)

In Jaipur Rural constituency of Rajasthan, it is the battle of the Olympians in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. It will be the contest of Olympics’ medallists as BJP’s Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will square off against Congress’ Krishna Poonia.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, it was Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who won the elections by defeating Congress’ CP Joshi by over 300,000 votes. A lot has changed in the last five years, politically, and also since Congress won majority in Assembly Elections. It’ll be interesting to see which team has the last laugh on May 23.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – Rajnath Singh (BJP)

They say, the road to Delhi (PM’s chair) often trespasses through Lucknow. In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, it was Rajnath Singh who won from the constituency by a margin of little over 250,000 votes. The second-placed Congress candidate got 288,357 votes.

The parliamentary constituency of Lucknow has been BJP’s bastion for nearly three decades now, as the saffron party has won every election here, since the 1991 elections. Former PM late Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been a five-time MP from Lucknow.

In 2019 Elections, it will be Rajnath Singh battling against Congress’ Pramod Krishnan, and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Poonam Sinha. How much of a dent does the star candidate Poonam, makes will be an interesting watch.

Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh – Sonia Gandhi (Congress)

The high-profile contest in the constituency will see UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi fighting elections against Congress’ turncoat, and now a BJP candidate, Dinesh Pratap Singh. It is said to be a one-sided contest in Gandhi’s favour; however, there’s nothing certain in politics.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Sonia Gandhi won the seat by a vote margin of nearly 3,50,000 votes. BJP’s Ajay Agarwal, who could secure only 173,721 votes in his favour, was placed second.

The constituency of Rae Bareli has been a Congress’ stronghold since the first elections that took place here in 1957. Not to forget, former PM late Indira Gandhi is a three-time MP from RaeBareli and Sonia Gandhi herself has won the same number of times, and a bye-election too.  Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 5: 126 Candidates With Criminal Record in Fray, UP Tops List; Check State-Wise Data

Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh – Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti

The parliamentary constituency Fatehpur will see a three-way contest between BJP’s Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, BSP’s Sukhdev Prasad Verma and Congress’ Rakesh Sachan.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, it was BJP’s firebrand leader who secured a win with a vote margin nearing 200,000 votes. The BSP and SP candidates came second and third.

However, with renewed political dynamics in the state, it will be interesting to see if BJP is able to counter the SP-BSP alliance’s candidate in 2019 General Elections.

Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani- Amethi

The best reserved for the last. The mother of all battles in Phase 5, rather 2019 Elections, will take place in Amethi on May 6. The parliamentary constituency has been a stronghold of Congress which saw BJP’s Smriti Irani nearly pulling off a heist in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

The victory margin for Congress President Rahul Gandhi was 100,000 votes. In 2019, Rahul has opted to contest from Wayanad (in Kerala) too. However, it will be interesting to see if Smriti Irani is able to breach Congress’ fortress, where they have won 13 out of 15 elections since 1967.

Former PM late Rajiv Gandhi has been a four-time MP from Amethi, whereas Sanjay Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have won once from here. Rahul Gandhi has himself won thrice in Amethi. The question is, will he win this time too?

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the schedule of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections on March 10. The General Elections are scheduled to take place in 7-phases, with the fifth phase polling scheduled to be on May 6. A total of 51 constituencies will go voting in this phase. Stay tuned to LatestLY for all the latest updates about Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2019 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).