Lok Sabha Election 2019 for 1st phase: Big names in fray

New Delhi, Apr 11: Voting for the 91 Lok Sabha seats spread across 18 states and two union territories in the first phase has begun.

Polling in all the Lok Sabha constituencies of Andhra Pradesh (25), Telangana (17), Uttarakhand (5), Meghalaya (2) and Arunachal Pradesh (2) besides lone seats in Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep is being held today.

Eight seats in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Maharashtra, six in Bihar, five in Assam, four in Odisha, two each in Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal and one seat in Chhattisgarh are also going to polls. Here's a look at the list of prominent candidates for phase 1 national election.

Nitin Gadkari: The fate of high-profile Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is often described as a prime ministerial aspirant, would be sealed on Thursday when Nagpur along with six other constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra goes to polls.

In Nagpur, Gadkari faces Congress candidate Nana Patole, a former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondiya.

Kiren Rijiju: A tough fight awaits Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on his home turf the Arunachal West constituency. The National People's Party (NPP), a member of an anti-Congress forum helmed by the BJP, has put up Khyoda Apik as its candidate opposite Mr. Rijiju, 47.

V K Singh: Former army chief and union minister Vijay Kumar Singh is trying his luck again from the Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency. The former general is up against Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance candidate Suresh Bansal and Dolly Sharma of the Congress.

Asaduddin Owaisi: The AIMIM chief is the sitting lawmaker from Hyderabad in Telangana. The constituency, which is traditionally an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or AIMIM stronghold and won by Owaisi since 2004, has seven assembly segments, and six of these were won by the party in the 2018 Telangana polls.

Renuka Chowdhury: Congress party's senior leader and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury is contesting from the seat which she had won twice in 1999 and 2004.

Mahesh Sharma: Incumbent MP Dr Mahesh Sharma of the BJP is seeking a re-election from this seat on a BJP ticket and is pitted against the alliance's candidate - Satveer Nagar of the BSP - and Dr Arvind Singh of the Congress party, and 10 other candidates.

Chirag Paswan: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Chirag Paswan who is contesting from Jamui who will be contesting against his predecessor RLS's Bhudeo Chaudhary, who was earlier with the JD(U). Chaudhary had won the seat in 2009 on an NDA ticket.