Lok Sabha polls Phase 1 | 8 Union Ministers, 2 former CMs, one ex-governor in fray
The Hindu
Union ministers, former CMs, and ex-governors face electoral battles in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Eight Union Ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in the first phase of elections on April 19 when 102 seats across 21 States and Union Territories will go to polls.
Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking a hat-trick of win from the Nagpur seat. In 2014, he had defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2019 by defeating current Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 2.16 lakh votes.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju is contesting from the Arunachal West seat. The 52-year-old has represented the constituency thrice since 2004. Mr. Rijiju's main rival is former chief minister and present president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Nabam Tuki.
Sarbanada Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is seeking a return to Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh in Assam. Mr. Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha member, was fielded from Dibrugarh after Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, was not given a ticket.
Muzaffarnagar, known for its intricate caste dynamics, is witnessing a three-cornered electoral battle, with Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan locked in competition against Samajwadi Party's Harindra Malik and BSP candidate Dara Singh Prajapati.
Also Read | Poor, farmers central to Modi government’s welfare policies: Amit Shah in Muzaffarnagar
Jitendra Singh, a two-time parliamentarian and a junior Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet, is aiming for a hat-trick in Udhampur.
Giant outdoor advertisement hoardings had once dominated Bengaluru’s skyline. But the exposê of a massive ₹2,000 crore scam linked to illegal hoardings eventually led to a ban. Blatant violations followed. Is the time ripe enough now to bring them back with a new advertisement byelaw drafted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) awaiting a final go-ahead from the State?
The High Court of Karnataka has cleared the way for Karnataka Power Corporation Limited to continue its tender process for the ₹8,005 crore Sharavathy Pumped Storage and Hydroelectric project in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts by dismissing an appeal filed a leading construction and infrastructure company