1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th are all done. We are just left with one final phase which is the 7th phase to happen on Sunday 19th May. On Sunday there will be 7 states and 1 Union Territory going for polls totalling 59 seats. As it has been in the last 6 phases, the 7th phase is also expected to be equally tensed and the battle of words has already been neck to neck.
Of the 59 seats, BJP (NDA) holds 36 seats from 2014. Not a high number of seats but again they are obviously the major seat holder from this phase. We have states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal & Jharkhand and Chandigarh the only UT to be going for polls this phase.
- Himachal Pradesh – Hilly state known for tourism and chilliness has got 4 seats. BJP has been doing well in this place and will want to win back all the 4 seats which look to be a big possibility. From Chandigarh, we have got Kirron Kher fighting the election as a sitting MP from BJP. She will be contesting against Pawan Kumar Bansal from INC and this will be a tough fight this time.
- Punjab: We have got 13 seats from this state and all the 13 are going for polls on the final day. Punjab was a big loss for BJP in the recent assembly elections. Congress stormed to power in the last assembly elections making them an important opponent. BJP is going with Akali Dal as their alliance and is contesting in only 2 seats of the 13 seats. Whereas the Akali is contesting rest 11 as part of NDA. BJP if is able to come back they would win 5-6 seats and INC will make big by winning 8 seats. Sunny Deol is fighting for the first time from Gurdaspur seat on BJP’s ticket.
- Eastern Uttar Pradesh – 13 seats in total for the polls in the final phase from Uttar Pradesh. We have got seats like Gorakhpur and Varanasi coming from this place and both are very much in the hands of the BJP. BJP though faced bad defeat in the by-election of Gorakhpur they are expecting to come back and win it. SP+BSP also doesn’t look to cause any real damage. BJP will be hoping to win at least 10 of the 13 seats.
- Bihar – An easy place and easy battle for BJP. The absence of Lalu Yadav and the incompetent sons have made it easier for BJP and they will be looking to win all the 8 seats. But the bigger battle is between Shatrughan Sinha who has left BJP and joined INC and the BJP’s first time Lok Sabha contestant but a famous leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Shatrughan Sinha joined Congress – Courtesy: Google
- Madhya Pradesh – Another state where BJP is ready to make a big comeback within months’ time after a close loss in assembly elections to INC. The phase covers the entire Malwa region which is bordered to Rajasthan. BJP is hoping that after good campaigning they are expecting to win all the 8 seats.
- Jharkhand – 3 seats from Jharkhand are going to be impossible one’s to dream for BJP. The poor leadership in state and the change in the mindset of the people will mean BJP might lose all the 3 seats.
- West Bengal – Yet again, West Bengal doesn’t disappoint us. Once more in the days building up to a 7th phase, the state has been more violence erupting. The battle is for the 9 seats. First Amit Shah was not given enough security in the state for his road show and same day some goons have damaged the Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar’s statue. Both BJP and TMC are blaming each other for this act. This if it is the BJP’s version, then the fear in TMC is possible. At this rate, BJP might win 5 seats of 9.
The elections from 1st phase to the 7th phase were all going in a different way. But then the campaigning for the last phase stopped a day before itself in Kolkata for obvious reasons of Violence. Thus the discussion was happening more on the personal attacks rather than the country related issues. Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, corruption charges, demolition of statues, Modi’s parents, Rahul Gandhi family etc. these were the topics discussed majorly in the elections.
With this, my assessment of the states and phases comes to an end and Tuesday will have an altogether different look at this elections, coming just 2 days before the counting.
