The battle for the 16th Lok Sabha has begun and parties are going all out to woo the voters. Here`s a look at what they all have to offer.
As the 2014 General Elections inch closer, alliance talks are once again in vogue in Jharkhand. For long instability has been the hallmark of politics in the state state. Given Jharkhand`s diverse and fragmented electorate, both the BJP and the Congress will find it tough to win most of the 14 constituencies in the state.
`Abode of the clouds` Meghalaya is unique in more ways than one. Be it the splendours of nature of the welcoming people, the hill state is uniquely positioned in the firmament of India.
The last bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Tripura, is once again set to chose between the two main contestants in the state, the CPM and the Congress.
Three of the four Lok Sabha seats in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh are currently with the Bharatiya Janata Party. And it has decided to field two of its incumbents—Virender Kashyap from Shimla (SC) and Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur seats.
The emergence of Narendra Modi as the next occupant of 7 Race Course Road has come at a delicate juncture in the history of independent India.
In his first sit-down television interview in 10 years, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed his views on a number of issues including his vision for India.
The emergence of the AAP as a potent force in the fluid firmament of Indian politics has come at a time when the new 21st century India is eager to juxtapose its relevance with what has been `system` since Independence in 1947.
Notwithstanding the public display of confidence by Shiv Sena-BJP leaders that the NDA will get the majority of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the electoral jigsaw in the state is expected to remain a puzzle.
Sikkim, the second-smallest state in the country went to polls on April 12.
Exit polls have suggested that the BJP-led NDA coalition is set to return to power in India led by its prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi, ending a decade of Congress-led rule.
The picturesque beach-state of Goa awaits high-voltage clashes on both its Lok Sabha seats. The seats of North and South Goa go to polls on April 12. Both the Congress and the BJP have one siting MP each from the state, but one could possibly see a three-horse-race with the Aam Aadmi Party throwing its hat into the ring this time around.
Nestled in the North-eastern part of the country in the lap of the Himalayas, the state of Arunachal Pradesh is experiencing heated political battle and the poll fever is further amplified as the Assembly elections happen to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls this year.
The upcoming Lok Sabha 2014 elections are slated to be a tough battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) in the five Parliamentary constituencies in the state.
A kaleidoscope of disasters are staring the UPA government in the face - Accusations of scams and corruption, policy paralysis and price rise and ten years of anti-incumbency coupled with the perception of a Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) who failed to relate to the people, have all stacked up heavily against the beleaguered Congress-led government.
The talks of a ‘Third Front’ as an alternative to the two national parties gains momentum every time the General Elections are round the corner. In fact some would say that the Third Front has become synonymous with the General Elections. It was in 2009 Lok Sabha polls that such a front had last been bandied about but failed to take off and paved way for the United Nationalist Progressive Alliance.
It is said that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was very keen to bring Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janashakti Party back to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold. It is also said that he pushed for it with full force. Needless to say, it was huge embarrassment for the then prime minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Manipur has two parliamentary seats - Inner Manipur (valley districts) and Outer Manipur (hill districts). The state will go to the polls on April 9 (first phase) in outer Manipur and on April 17 in inner Manipur (second phase). The main political forces in the state are the Congress (INC), the Manipur People`s Party (MPP) and the Communist party of India.
With just twenty Lok Sabha seats, Kerala has eight ministers in the present Union cabinet. Of the eight two are Cabinet ranked, while other six are Ministers of State. This probably explains the importance of the southern state in UPA`s calculations which has traditionally seen a direct contest between the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPI(M) backed Left Democratic Front.
India has seen numerous elections since it became Independent. Some of them were predictable, whereas others have thrown up surprises.
Along with Uttar Pradesh, the so called ‘Modi wave’ is said to be sweeping the state of Bihar too.
With a lone Lok Sabha seat, the General Elections in Mizoram would be a triangular one. After the withdrawal of candidature by Independent candidate Vanlalngaia, only three candidates are in the fray.
In Chhattisgarh, which elects 11 Lok Sabha members, came into existence in the year 2000 though the demand for a separate state can be traced as early as 1920s.
The bugle has been sounded for the world`s biggest carnival of democracy, and while the whole of India is reverberating with the drumbeats of elections, its cadence can be best heard in the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh.
Though famous for its mouth-watering recipes of dhoklas, fafdas and khandvi, the state of Gujarat is all fragrant with the flavours of General Elections 2014 this season.
Lok Sabha elections will be held in the second-largest state of the country for 29 parliamentary seats in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24.
The 2014 Lok Sabha poll battle in Haryana for 10 seats on April 10 will not be a two-way contest between the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal like before.
The national poll bugle has been sounded and among the states/UTs that will be watched closely over the next two months include the city-state of Delhi.