In 2019, the parties constituting the Opposition INDIA bloc and the ruling BJP-led NDA won 19 and 30 of these 57 seats, respectively. The BJP alone won 25 of these constituencies. Among the INDIA bloc members, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress won the most seats at nine and eight, respectively. Several unaligned parties also bagged several constituencies: the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won four seats in Odisha, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won two in UP, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won two in Punjab.
In terms of vote share, the parties that constitute NDA received 39.03% of the votes compared to the 37.52% vote share of the INDIA bloc parties. In 2014, the NDA won 39 of these seats and the INDIA alliance parties won 18, with 10 going to other parties.
Phase 7 seats: Results in 2019
The candidates
There are 904 candidates in the fray on Saturday. The BSP has fielded the most candidates at 56, followed by the BJP at 51, and the Congress at 31. With all of Punjab voting on Saturday, the state has the most candidates in this phase at 328, followed by 144 candidates in Uttar Pradesh’s 13 seats, 134 in Bihar’s 8 seats, and 124 in West Bengal’s 9 seats.
Candidate breakdown
Of the 199 candidates with criminal cases, Punjab has the most at 69, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 36, and Bihar at 30. The Ludhiana and Patiala seats in Punjab have the most candidates with cases at 9 each. There are also 151 candidates, or 17% of the total, with serious criminal cases. Among the major parties, the BJP has the most candidates with criminal cases at 23, accounting for 45% of its candidates in this phase, while the TMC and Samajwadi Party (SP) have the highest proportion of such candidates at 78%.
PARTY-WISE CANDIDATES WITH CRIMINAL CASES
BJP: 23 (45% of party’s candidates)
BSP: 13 (23%)
Congress: 12 (39%)
AAP: 5 (39%)
SAD: 8 (62%)
TMC: 7 (78%)
SP: 7 (78%)
CPI(M): 5 (63%)
Of the 299 crorepati candidates in this phase, Punjab has the most at 102, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 55, and Bihar at 50. Among the parties, the BJP has the most crorepati candidates at 44, or 86% of its candidates in this phase, followed by the Congress at 30, or 97%, and the BSP at 22 or 39%. As a share of all candidates, Himachal Pradesh tops Phase 7 in crorepati candidates at 62%.
RICHEST CANDIDATES
Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD), contesting from Punjab’s Bathinda | Assets: Rs 198.52 crore
Baijayant Panda (BJP), contesting from Odisha’s Kendrapara | Assets: Rs 148.09 crore
Sanjay Tandon (BJP), contesting from Chandigarh | Assets: Rs 111.86 crore
YOUNGEST AND OLDEST
Youngest: Two candidates aged 25, from minor parties
Oldest: 87-year-old Independent K Rangaiah, contesting from Jharkhand’s Godda
The key battlegrounds in Phase 7
PUNJAB & CHANDIGARH
Total seats: 14
Total electors: 2.2 crore
First-time voters: 5.04 lakh
Punjab and Chandigarh polls
BIHAR
Total seats: 39 (8 seats in Phase 7)
Total electors: 7.66 crore
First-time voters: 9.26 lakh
Bihar polls
WEST BENGAL
Total seats: 42 (9 seats in Phase 7)
Total electors: 7.6 crore
First-time voters: 11.34 lakh
West Bengal polls
UTTAR PRADESH
Total seats: 80 (13 seats in Phase 7)
Total electors: 15.32 crore
Uttar Pradesh polls
ODISHA
Total seats: 21 (6 seats in Phase 7)
Total electors: 3.33 crore
First-time voters: 8 lakh
Odisha polls
OTHER STATES AND UTs GOING TO POLLS
Himachal Pradesh: 4 seats (Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla)
Jharkhand: 3 seats (Dumka, Godda, Rajmahal)
5 CONTESTS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (BJP) vs Congress state chief Ajay Rai | 2019 winner: BJP
Diamond Harbour, West Bengal: TMC general secretary and sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee vs youth leader Pratikur Rehman (CPM) vs Abhijit “Bobby” Das (BJP) | 2019 winner: TMC
Bathinda, Punjab: Former Union minister and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD) vs sitting MLA Gurmeet Singh Khudian (AAP) vs former bureaucrat Parampal Kaur Sidhu (BJP) vs former MLA Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu (Cong) | 2019 winner: SAD
Patna Sahib, Bihar: Former Union minister and sitting MP Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) vs party spokesperson Anshul Avijit (Cong) | 209 winner: BJP
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh: State Cabinet minister Vikramaditya Singh (Cong) vs actor-politician Kangna Ranaut (BJP) | 2019 winner: Congress
A crowd of BJP supporters at PM Modi's rally in Dwarka, Delhi. (Express photo by Tasho Tobgyal) 
Phase 7 seats: Results in 2019
Candidate breakdown
Punjab and Chandigarh polls
Bihar polls
West Bengal polls
Uttar Pradesh polls
Odisha polls
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