New Delhi: Varanasi, one of the 80 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, will vote in the seventh and the last phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on June 1. The seat will witness a fierce fight between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term from Varanasi. 

Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency comprises of 5 assembly segments namely Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt and Sevapuri. Varanasi has been a stronghold of BJP since 2009 with PM Modi representing the seat since 2014. The seat was won by Congress in 2004 after being ruled by BJP since 1991. 

In the 2014 elections, the seat was claimed by PM Modi who secured 581,022 votes, followed by AAP (209,238 votes) and Congress (75,614 votes). In the 2019 elections, PM Modi won the seat with 674,664 votes, followed by SP with 195,159 votes and Congress with 152,548 votes. 

In the upcoming Varanasi election, BJP has again reposed its faith in PM Modi who will fight the poll battle against Congress candidate and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai. Apart from Ajay Rai, there are a total of five candidates who will fight against PM Modi to claim the seat. 

7 Candidates in Fray

The five candidates are Ather Jamal Lari  (Bahujan Samaj Party), Ather Jamal Lari (Bahujan Samaj Party), Kolisetty Shiva Kumar (Yuga Thulasi Party), Gagan Prakash Yadav, (Apna Dal, Kameravadi), Dinesh Kumar Yadav (Independent) and Sanjay Kumar Tiwari (Independent).

Campaigning for the seat ended on Thursday evening. Voting for elections will begin at 7am and conclude at 6pm. Varanasi has a population of approximately 37 lakh according to the 2011 census. The total number of electors in this constituency in 2019 was 18,56,791 according to the Election Commission of India. 

13 Seats in UP to Vote on Saturday

Apart from Varanasi, 12 Lok Sabha seats will go to polls in the last and seventh phase of the general elections on Saturday. Polling in the state, which sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament, was held in all seven phases of the election. 

Uttar Pradesh is seeing a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the coalition of INDIA bloc members Samajwadi Party and Congress. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.