2024 LS Poll: Key Issues Include Ram Temple, Caste Census, Modi Image, CAA

Different issues are at play in different states to swing the winning chances of rival political parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. While the NDA is banking on Ram Mandir, Modi charisma and development planks, the INDIA bloc is highlighting caste census, CAA and unemployment as key issues. Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for largest number of LS members, becomes crucial for PM Modi to win a third term.

Hyderabad/Delhi : A wide variety of issues are going to dominate the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, for which the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule on Saturday. These key issues on which the rival parties are contesting include jobs, guarantees, corruption, Modi charisma, caste census, Ram Mandir, CAA, UCC and ethnic violence.

In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the largest number of 80 members to the Lok Sabha, is crucial for the BJP's plan for a third consecutive term in office. The INDIA bloc too hopes to put up a respectable fight in the state, now that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have finally stitched together an alliance. UP goes to the polls on all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections, beginning April 19 and ending on June 1.

Bihar is a different ball game where Government jobs and quotas are key poll agendas. The ruling NDA is locked in a straight battle with the Mahagathbandhan. The BJP has among its allies Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is past his prime but remains formidable. As of now, the BJP also enjoys the loyalty of squabbling factions of the now-extinct LJP, headed by late founder Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag and brother Pashupati Kumar Paras.

The Mahagathbandhan is helmed by the Congress-RJD combine, which formed an alliance with the CPI(ML) Liberation, which would seek to draw inspiration from its better-than-expected performance in 2020 to tide over the dejection wrought by Nitish Kumar's abrupt return to NDA two months ago. Polling in Bihar will be held on all seven phases.

In Maharashtra, which elects the second highest number of members of the Lower House after UP, the Maratha reservation demand, big-ticket infrastructure development and farmers' problems would be prominent issues. which elects the second highest number of members of the Lower House, after Uttar Pradesh. Here, Lok Sabha polls will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Madhya Pradesh will witness Ram temple, Modi's guarantee and caste census as key issues. In this BJP-ruled state, Lok Sabha polls will be held in four phases on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13.

West Bengal, which sends the third highest number of members to Lok Sabha after UP and Maharashtra, has turned into a battleground state with the BJP set to harshly test Mamata's mettle over Sandeshkhali incident and corruption. Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is taking head-on its prime challenger, the BJP. Elections to the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal will be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. INDIA bloc met with a setback here after Mamata decided to go solo.

In Rajasthan, there is no Congress MP in last 10 yrs and the BJP is keen to keep it that way. The BJP won from all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in 2014, when it was the ruling party there. In 2019, a few months after the Congress assumed charge in Jaipur, the BJP still won 24, with the remaining Lok Sabha seat going to ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. Rajasthan will go to the polls on April 19 and 26, the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be in a dominant position again this time, particularly after sweeping the assembly polls just months back.

In Punjab, it could be an opportunity lost for the fledgling opposition INDIA bloc. The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress are now fighting each other on all 13 seats. Going by the bitter exchanges witnessed in the last Punjab Assembly session, it would be a no-holds-barred contest. The Bharatiya Janata Party couldn't have wished for more under the circumstances as it has not yet been able to revive its old partnership with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Voting in Punjab will be held on June 1, the seventh phase.

Jharkhand presents a different picture where corruption, law & order and tribal issues will play a key role. With the BJP-led NDA aiming to secure all 14 Lok Sabha seats here, the opposition INDIA bloc is intensifying its efforts to thwart the NDA's ambitions. In this high-stakes political landscape, several factors are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of the upcoming polls. Jharkhand BJP is all geared up to cash in on the image of the PM. Whereas, the arrest of the former Jharkhand chief minister and JMM executive president by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is poised to be a significant factor.

In Manipur, ethnic violence and illegal immigration are among key issues. The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year claiming more than 200 lives has grabbed the headlines across the country and, naturally became the core issue in the Lok Sabha elections. Illegal Immigration from Myanmar which the BJP claims is the root cause of the violence, displacement of people because of the strife, and Suspension of Operations agreement with Kuki militants are among the other major issues. The elections will be held in the state in two phases on April 19 and 26.

In Haryana, BJP aims for 2019 repeat but faces challenge from Cong-AAP alliance. Just days before the elections were announced, the ruling BJP made a bold move in Haryana. It replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with state unit president Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister, broke its coalition with the JJP and proved its majority through a trust vote in the assembly. Saini is from the Other Backward Class community and will help in the consolidation of the non-Jat vote in the state. The CM switch is seen as an attempt to consolidate Haryana's non-Jat vote for the parliamentary polls which will be held in the state on May 25 in the sixth phase of voting.

In Himachal Pradesh, the ruling Congress seeks to bury crisis and regain lost momentum ahead of polling. The state is set for a direct contest between the BJP, riding high on the Ram Mandir plank, and the Congress, which is struggling to get its house in order. The Congress in the state plunged into a crisis in February, just 14 months after its victory in the Assembly elections, when six of its MLAs cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls for the state's lone seat. Lok Sabha polls in the state will be held on June 1 in the seventh phase of voting.

Uttarakhand is all set to witness UCC as one of key issues in Lok Sabha campaign. For a small state with just five seats, Uttarakhand has been important to the BJP's "core agenda". Just weeks before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls, its assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill - the first for any state since Independence. Voting in Uttarakhand will take place on April 19, in the first phase.

In Andhra Pradesh, lack of a capital city and the elusive special category status (SCS) are among the most contentious issues plaguing the state of Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to the simultaneous Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The Assembly and LS polls will be held on May 13.

In Karnataka, Congress and BJP are bracing for another mega electoral battle in less than a year. Guarantees and CAA are among the crucial issues in the state. Elections will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

Telangana witnesses a triangular fight between the ruling Congress, BJP and BRS. With high targets, Congress and BJP gear up for LS polls while BRS is struggling to make a comeback. The arrest of BRS founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter, K Kavitha, on the eve of the poll schedule announcement seems to have done no good to the already low morale of the party that was in the ruling saddle for 10 years. Lok Sabha polls will be held in Telangana on May 13.

In Tamil Nadu, the Lok Sabha poll scenario is undoubtedly characterised by the ruling DMK's resolve to continue its winning streak and the main opposition AIADMK's determination to make a mark under its chief Edappadi K Palaniswami. Alongside the two key Dravidian majors, the BJP in Tamil Nadu, under its state president K Annamalai, is aggressive to graduate from a marginal player into a force to reckon with in the state. Parliamentary polls will be held in Tamil Nadu on April 19, besides Assembly bypolls.

In Chhattisgarh, BJP looks to leverage on momentum while it is an uphill task for Congress. An upbeat BJP is eyeing to knock out the Congress in all 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh after its landslide victory in the recent assembly polls in the state, where the grand old party is striving to overcome its shock defeat. Lok Sabha polls in Chhattisgarh will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7.

In Assam, CAA, child marriage and UCC are key poll issues. The implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, will be a major poll issue for both the ruling and the opposition parties in Assam. The polls will be held in the state in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7.

In Gujarat, Modi charisma remains key factor in BJP's bid to retain all 26 seats. Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education and healthcare facilities are some of the other important issues in the election, where the ruling BJP in Gujarat will attempt to retain all the 26 Lok Sabha seats it won in 2019.

Odisha witnesses rival parties fighting on crucial issues like unemployment, corruption and paddy procurement irregularities key issues. Elections in Odisha will be held in four phases May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. The ruling Biju Janata Dal headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already completed 24 years in power in the state. (with PTI inputs)

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