Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha
New Delhi: Voters from a dozen of states will on Thursday exercise their franchise to elect their MPs as a total of 121 constituncies are set to go to the polls in the fifth and the biggest phase of General Elections 2014.
In Thursday`s vote, a total of 16.61 crore voters will choose from among 1,769 candidates in the fray for 121 constituencies.
The states that go to the polls are Karnataka (28 seats), West Bengal (4 seats), Rajasthan(20 seats), Chhattisgarh (3 seats), Madhya Pradesh (10 seats),, Uttar Pradesh (11 seats) , Maharashtra (19 seats), Bihar (7 seats), Manipur(1 seat), J&K (1 seat), Jharkhand (6 seats), and Odisha (11 seats).
Some prominent candidates who will face the test today are Nandan Nilekani (Cong), BS Yeddyurappa (BJP), HD Deve Gowda (JD-S), Supriya Sule (NCP), Maneka Gandhi, Shatrughan Sinha (BJP), Lalu Prasad`s eldest daughter Misa Yadav (RJD), Veerappa Moily (Cong) and Jotiraditya Scindia (Congress).
In Karnataka, which will be voting for the highest number of seats today, the BJP will try to regain its lost sheen but the Congress is pinning its hopes on the win it fetched in last years assembly elections.
Also, Nandan nilekani from Congress will be a fresh face to watch out for, while Yeddyurappa, who is back in the BJP, will seek to retrieve his lost glory.
In states like Rajasthan,Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the BJP had won assembly elections, stars are shining bright for the saffron party. But it is unsure of any remarkable results in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, where despite Modi contesting from Varansai, the “Modi wave” might get hit by competition from Samajwadi party, Bahjan Samajwadi Party and Congress.
In Maharashtra, the parties might be hoping for a better turnout as in the first phase of polling, the state had witnessed a dismal voting percentage of 62%.
The ruling coalition of Congress-NCP is pitted against the BJP-Shiv Sena combine with the former at a probable advantage as the constituencies going to elections, are spread across Marathwada, Konkan and Pune regions.
