Mumbai, April 23: Polling for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019 began in Maharashtra on Tuesday. In this phase, voting is held in 14 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. NCP MP Supriya Sule was among people who exercised their franchise early morning. 55.47 percent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm. The 14 seats where polling is held are Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Raigad, Pune, Baramati, Ahmednagar, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale.

The main electoral contest is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance and the opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a Dalit-Muslim front comprising Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and the Owaisi brothers' All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), is also in the fray. Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Dates: Constituency-Wise Complete Schedule Of Voting And Results For General Elections.

Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency has been a BJP stronghold since 1999, but the party dropped its two-time sitting MP A.T. Nana Patil and fielded former state BJP women's wing President Smita Uday Wagh, who will contest against NCP's Gulabrao Deokar. The constituency has 17,05,933 voters comprising 9,09,027 males and 7,98,906 females. Check Full Schedule of Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

In Raver, the BJP has re-nominated Raksha Nikhil Khadse to fight against Congress' Ulhas Patil. The constituency has a total of 15,93,370 voters, including 8,42,682 men and 7,50,688 women. In Jalna, the electoral contest is BJP's Raosaheb Danve-Patil and Congress's Vilas K. Autade. The constituency has 16,12,054 voters, including 8,66,726 males and 7,45,328 females.

Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency is currently held by four-time Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire. In his fifth attempt this time, Khaire will face rough weather from Sena rebel MLA Harshvardhan Jadhav, Congress strongman MLC Subhash Zambad and the VBA-AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jaleel. The constituency has a total of 15,89,393 voters, including 8,46,023 men and 7,43,370 women.

In Raigad, which has 15,32,781 voters, including 7,52,491 males and 7,80,290 females, the electoral contest is between Shiv Sena's Union Minister Anant Geete and former NCP state President Sunil Tatkare. In Pune, state minister Girish Bapat is contesting against state Congress General Secretary Mohan Joshi. The constituency has 18,35,836 voters, including 9,49,567 men and 8,86,269 women.

In Baramati, the seat represented by Sharad Pawar for seven terms and Ajit Pawar for one term, NCP's Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar's daughter) is seeking re-election from third time. The BJP has pitted Kanchan Kul against Sule. The constituency has 18,13,543 voters, including 9,60,387 males and 8,53,156 females. The Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat will see a fight between BJP's Sujay Vikhe-Patil and NCP's Sangram Jagtap. The constituency has 16,99,408 voters, including 8,98,819 men and 8,00,589 women.

In Madha, the BJP fielded Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, who recently quit the Congress. Naik-Nimbalkar will lock horns with NCP nominee Sanjay Shinde. The constituency has 17,27,308 voters, including 9,12,736 males and 8,14,572 females. Sangli has a tough contest on hand with the late Vasantrao Patil's grandson, Vishal Prakashbapu Patil, entering the fray on an SSS ticket, as part of the Congress-NCP combine.

He is pitted against the BJP's sitting MP Sanjay 'Kaka' Patil. The constituency has 16,49,107 voters, including 8,61,582 men and 7,87,525 women. Satara Lok Sabha seat will see an interesting contest between NCP's two-time MP Udayanraje P Bhosale, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and BJP's Narendra Annasaheb Patil. The constituency has 17,19,998 electorates, including 8,84,020 males and 8,35,978 females.

In Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, the Congress fielded Navin Bandivadekar against Shiv Sena's Vinayak Bhaurao Raut. The constituency has 13,67,361 voters, including 6,65,668 men and 7,01,693 women. Kolhapur Lok Sabha seat, which 17,58,300 electorates, including 9,09,326 males and 8,48,974 females, will witness a fight between Dhananjay Mahadik of the NCP and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Mandlik.

Two-time SSS MP Raju Shetti, formerly part of the NDA but now with the Congress-NCP-led Mahagathbandhan, will take on Shiv Sena's Dhairyasheel Mane, son of former NCP MP Nivedita Mane in Hatkanangale. The constituency has 16,30,598 voters, including 8,50,574 men and 7,80,024 women.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2019 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).