Assembly election 2018: From Chouhan vs Yadav to KCR vs Reddy, top battles to watch out for

This time too, a number of candidates, including chief minister claimants Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan and K Chandrashekhar Rao in Telangana, are facing very tough contests in their home constituencies. Considering that these battles are high stakes and could impact political fortunes, some seats will be watched very closely. Here is a list of some interesting battles to watch out for in Assembly Election 2018:

Rajasthan Election

Jhalrapatan – Vasundhara Raje vs Manvendra Singh

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is facing a tough challenge from Congress’ Manvendra Singh, son of former Union minister and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh, from Jhalrapatan, a seat which the CM has won thrice. Traditionally, the state has voted the incumbent government out of power and Raje has the bigger challenge saving her government in the state. In this scenario, the amount of focus Raje can have on her own constituency is quite uncertain. On the other hand, BJP’s Manvendra Singh is running a high-octane campaign banking on the sentiments against the “BJP’s disrespect for his father”.

Tonk – Sachin Pilot vs Yoonus khan

In Rajasthan’s Tonk assembly seat, Congress’ CM hopeful Sachin Pilot is squaring off against BJP’s lone Muslim candidate Yoonus Khan. It will be a battle of prestige for Congress and BJP. While Pilot is Congress state chief for Rajasthan, Khan is BJP’s lone Muslim pick in the election and a cabinet minister in the current Vasundhara Raje government. While winning the seat appeared a walk in the park for the COngress initially, BJP’s last-minute decision to pit Khan from Tonk withing hours of Congress announcing Pilot’s name for the seat, changed the arithmetic. Earlier, the BJP had announced sitting MLA Ajit Singh Mehta as its candidate for the constituency. A senior BJP leader in Rajasthan, Khan holds the office of state transport minister and is considered as a close aide of CM Vasundhara Raje.

MP election 2018

Budhni: Shivraj Singh Chouhan vs Arun Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is also facing a tough contest. The Congress has pitted Arun Yadav, a former union minister and former head of party’s state unit Chouhan’s Budhni constituency. Yadav is a known face in MP and in the particular constituency, his community, which outnumbers the Kirars, an Other Backward Class community to which the chief minister belongs. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also campaigned in the constituency to boost Yadav’s prospects.

Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018

Rajnandgaon: Raman Singh vs Karuna Shukla

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is facing former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla in the state’s Rajnandgaon constituency. While Raman Singh needs no introduction, Shukla is not new to politics either. She has been a firebrand leader, a former MP and BJP Mahila Morcha’s national president. Shukla, 68, had ended her 32-year-long association with the BJP in 2014 and joined the Congress. Reports say that the turnout at her rallies during the campaign has been remarkable.

Durg (Rural) – Tamradhwaj Sahu vs Jageshwar Sahu

Tamradhwaj Sahu, Congress’ lone Lok Sabha member from the state, has slowly emerged as a prominent face for the party in the elections. Sahu’s rise comes amid infighting between the party’s state chief Bhuphesh Baghel and state in-charge PL Punia. Sahu, already a sitting MP, is contesting from Durg (rural). His name from the constituency has itself created a controversy, as his candidature was declared replacing Pratima Chandrakar, a very strong candidate who was expected to have a cakewalk here. Chandrakar too had reportedly lodged her displeasure with Rahul Gandhi when he had come to the constituency to campaign. Sahu is facing a contest from BJP’s Jageshwar Sahu who has been running an aggressive campaign here.

Telangana

KCR vs Vanteru Pratap Reddy

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is up for a big challenge against Congress candidate Vanteru Pratap Reddy from Gajwel constituency. Rao defeated Reddy in the last elections with a narrow gap of 19,000 votes. The TRS chief had bagged 86,000 votes, while the Congress candidate got 67,000 votes in his favour. Reddy’s performance was despite Rao’s peak popularity in the aftermath of the creation of Telangana as a separate state. Another aspect which goes against Rao is a grand alliance or Mahakutami. Last time, Reddy had contested on a TDP ticket, while Congress candidate Tumkunta Narsa Reddy had polled 34,000 votes. Together, the TDP and Congress had polled way more than KCR. With less than 72 hours to go for the polls, the chief minister is yet to show up in his constituency. If KCR suffers a defeat here, it will be more than an embarrassment for the TRS in the elections.

Mizoram

Serchipp – Lal Thanhawla vs Lalduhoma vs Zoram Thar

Mizoram CM Lal Thanalhwa is up for a tough battle against not one, not two, but three chief minesterial candidates. The constituency, which falls under the district with the same name, is witnessing a contest between Thanalhwa and the chief of Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) Lalduhoma (also contesting from Aizawl West-I), Zoram Thar, an evangelist-political group, Zaichhawna Hlawndo (also contesting from Aizawl West-I) and People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM), Vanlalruata (also contesting from Aizawl North-I). Thanhawla has won the constituency seven times since 1984, losing only in 1998. The chief minister looks a little insecure, as he is also contesting from Champhai South.