Lok Sabha Phase 3 Election: 12 States & UTs to Cast Votes. Here's the List of Key Candidates In Fray

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha elections has advanced to its third phase with 12 states and Union Territories gearing up to cast votes on May 7. The voters from 94 Lok Sabha seats will vote to lock the fate of 1,352 candidates. 

The states and UTs going to polls in the third phase are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Divided in seven phases, the polling in two phases have already been held on April 19 and 26. The counting of votes will take place on June 4 for all the Lok Sabha seats. Among several candidates in fray, here're the key candidates to watch out for. 

Lok Sabha Phase 3 Election: Key Candidates

• Amit Shah: Union Home Minister and BJP heavyweight Amit Shah is seeking re-election from the Gandhinagar constituency, currently represented by him and BJP veteran leader LK Advani in the past. In the 2019 polls, Shah clinched victory defeating Congress candidate CJ Chavda by more than 5.5 lakh votes. This time, Congress has pitted Sonal Patel against Shah. 
• Dimple Yadav: Samjawadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav is hoping victory from the family citadel of Mainpuri. Dimple Yadav took over the Mainpuri seat in December 2022 after the demise of her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was the incumbent MP. This year, she has been fielded against BJP candidate Jaiveer Singh and Bahujan Samaj Party's Shiv Prasad Yadav. 
• Sunetra Pawar: The wife of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, is contesting from the Baramati segment, one of the key seats in Maharashtra. She has been pitted against Sharad Pawar's daugter Supriya Sule. In the 2019 general electons, Sule won the Baramati seat with 52.63 per cent vote share. 
• Jyotiraditya Scindia: Guna seat, located in the Gwalior-Chambal region, will see a heated electoral battle between BJP candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress' Rao Yadvendra Singh. Notably, Scindia was defeated by Congress candidate Krishna Pal Singh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Later, he joined the BJP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha. 
• Digvijay Singh: Congress veteran Digvijay Singh has entered poll fray from the Rajgarh seat against BJP candidate Rodmal Nagar. In the key Madhya Pradesh seat, agricultural and infrastructure development remains the key issues among many. The seat was won by Nagar in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 

The other key candidates are Pralhad Joshi and BY Raghavendra who are contesting from Dharwad and Shivamogga seats in Karnataka, respectively. While Joshi is making all effort to woo the demographically strong Veerashaiva-Lingayat community in the Dharwad region, Raghavendra is facing heat from suspended BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, who is fighting polls as an independent candidate after denial of ticket to his son KE Kantesh.