Assembly Polls 2022 results: Key constituencies, candidates

Here's a look at some of the key candidates and constituencies to watch for as the countdown to the election results begins

Thursday will be a crucial day for politics in the country as votes for elections in five states will be counted. Fates of parties and their political future will be decided as the contest is largely between BJP and other parties.

Uttar Pradesh, a BJP bastion, held polling in seven phases starting February 10. Observers are closely eyeing this election as a litmus test for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In Punjab, Congress is fighting tooth and nail after infighting that resulted in Amarinder Singh's exit and Channi being relegated to the CM throne. The BJP is battling anti-incumbency in Goa with late former CM Manohar Parrikar's son, Utpal Parrikar, fighting as an independent candidate, while TMC and Congress are rushing to make alliances with local parties in case of a hung assembly. In Uttarakhand and Manipur, the contest will be between the BJP and the congress and their alliances with local parties.

Uttar Pradesh

Here's a look at some of the key candidates and constituencies to watch for as the countdown to the election results for Uttar Pradesh begins:

Most keenly watched constituencies in this election will be Gorakhpur Urban from where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is contesting and Karhal from where his chief rival, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav will fight.

Newly-formed political outfit Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekhar Azad is also fighting from Gorakhpur. Meanwhile, BJP has pitted SP Singh Baghel against Akhilesh in Karhal.

Varanasi district, from where PM Modi contested in the Lok Sabha election, is also crucial as this remains a BJP stronghold even in the legislative assembly.

Lakhimpur will be a keenly watched constituency after the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which Union Minister Ashish Mishra's son was released after being charged for mowing down protesting farmers. Rae Bareli, under MP Sonia Gandhi, will also be observed. BJP's Aditi Singh is fighting from here.

Amethi, currently under MLA Garima Singh from BJP, will be another crucial constituency

Samajwadi Party's Dara Singh Chauhan, contesting from Ghosi and UP Congress Committee leader Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj are other prominent candidates.

Eyes are also on Unnao, from where the Congress has fielded Asha Singh, whose husband was killed and daughter raped in Unnao.

Shirathu from where BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya is contesting and Fazilnagar from which BJP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya is fighting are other important ones observers will be looking out for.

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party President Om Prakash Rajbhar's fort in Zahoorabad will be crucial too as SBSP is fighting in alliance with SP.

Another important candidate is Shivpal Singh Yadav, leader of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, from Jaswantnagar Assembly seat in Etawah.

Punjab

Charanjit SIngh Channi's constituencies Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur will be followed closely. Channi has been declared by the Congress as its CM face. The party is hoping to capitalise on the Dalit narrative with Channi's candidature.

AAP's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann will be contesting from Dhuri. Jalalabad constituency from which Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal is fighting will be crucial too. SAD is fighting in alliance with BSP.

Amritsar East from which Sidhu is contesting, Lambi that is Parkash Singh Badal's constituency and Patiala from where former CM Amarinder Singh is fighting are prominent seats that will be keenly watched.

Goa

Sanquelim, Panaji and Benaulim will be crucial constituencies for Goa this year. CM Pramod Sawant is fighting to secure his seat for BJP in Sanquelim while Utpal Parrikar is contesting as an independent candidate in Panaji. Churchill Alemao is seeking one more term from Benaulim but on a TMC ticket.

In the 2017 elections, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party winning 17 seats, but the BJP had pipped them to power after roping in the support of regional parties and independent MLAs.

In the 2022 elections, the MGP joined hands with the Trinamool Congress, while the Goa Forward Party (GFP) entered into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress.

Manipur

In Manipur, the contest is primarily between Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his former mentor in Congress Okram Ibobi Singh.

In the northeastern state, BJP is forecasted to come to power for a second term. The party has formed a coalition with the National People's Party (NPP) and Naga People's Front (NPF) for this Assembly poll.

Okram Ibobi Singh, who served as CM three times in a row between 2002 and 2017, is a prominent face. Singh is contesting the Thoubal seat.

Political pundits believe that the outcome of the Manipur Assembly elections would be an important ramification in Meghalaya and Nagaland, the two Northeastern states along with Tripura would go to the Assembly polls early next year.

Nongthombam Biren Singh is contesting from the Heingang constituency.

All eyes are on the seats in Thoubal district in the valley, which is believed to be a stronghold of principle opposition Congress. The focus will also be on at least 11 constituencies in the hills in Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong districts, where Nagas call the shots in every election. The fight in the hills will be between BJP and Naga People's Front (NPF), a partner of the BJP-led government in Manipur since 2017, DH correspondent Sumir Karmakar explains.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand’s electorate has never returned an incumbent government in the last four assembly polls.

Khatima, from where CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is contesting and Lalkuan, Congress's Harish Rawat's stronghold are key constituencies to watch out for.

Important BJP faces whose fate is to be decided in these polls are CM Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya besides state party president Madan Kaushik.

Prominent faces from the Congress in the fray are former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, state party president Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Pritam Singh.

(With agency inputs)

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