Chandigarh: Lok Sabha seats have an interesting fight between Congress and BJP candidates when the Union Territory of Chandigarh will have voting on June 1 by 6,47,291 registered voters, including 3,35,060 male, 3,12,198 female and 33 third-gender voters. Out of the total voters, there are 15,006 first-time voters of age 18 and 19, whereas 1,03,146 voters are aged 60 or above, as per the electoral list for 2024.
While looking at past BJP’s Kiran Kher got 1.91 lakh votes and defeated Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal who was able to get 1.21 lakh votes in the 2014 general election. The AAP candidate Gul Panag fared well as she was able to get 1.08 lakh votes in Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. In 2019, the BJP once again nominated Kiran Kher at Chandigarh, and she won this seat with 2.31 lakh votes while Bansal got 1.84 lakh votes. In 2019, the Aam Aadmi Party’s share of votes dropped significantly with nearly 3% margin (13,781 votes) that went in favour of Harmohan Dhawan.
During present Lok Sabha polls, Congress has nominated a senior party leader as well contested Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana and Anand Pur Sahib in Punjab in 2009 and 2019 respectively, earlier Manish Tiwari to contest against BJP’s heavyweight leader Sanjay Tandon in Chandigarh Lok Sabha Constituency. According to the INDIA bloc seat deal, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded its candidate in Chandigarh, but left the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat for the Congress, thus, Tewari will be the joint candidate for the Congress and the AAP. Born and brought up in Chandigarh, Tewari (58) did his schooling at St. John’s High School in Sector 26, graduated from DAV College, Chandigarh, and received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Delhi.
The BJP has dropped two-time sitting Member of Parliament Kirron Kher and decided Sanjay Tandon as its candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Sanjay Tandon (60) is the son of a BJP leader from Punjab and former governor of Chattisgarh Balramji Das Tandon has also been the longest-serving Bharatiya Janata Party Chandigarh president from 2010 to 2019. The announcement came as a surprise to various factions within the Chandigarh BJP which were trying hard for this Lok Sabha seat to contest against the Congress candidate. Lok Sabha Constituency in Chandigarh is a political powerhouse renowned for its significant influence in Indian politics as such a large number of BJP leaders in the area were keen to contest on this prestigious seat. As for the 2024 candidates list in Chandigarh Lok Sabha Constituency, there will be a tough contest between Sanjay Tandon from Bharatiya Janata Party and Manish Tewari from Indian National Congress are the prominent candidates.
Past scenario of Chandigarh Lok Sabha Constituency reveals that in the 2019 General Assembly Elections, Chandigarh witnessed a fiercely contested battle. This constituency witnessed a 70.62% voter turnout in the year 2019. BJP candidate Kirron Kher won the 2019 General Election with a victory margin of 46,970 votes, securing 2,31,188 votes. Kirron Kher defeated Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress, who got 1,84,218 votes. The Vote Share of Kirron Kher Bharatiya Janata Party who won 2,31,188 Votes (46,970 lead with Vote Share 50.64%). Vote Share of Pawan Kumar Bansal of Indian National Congress was Runner Up with 1,84,218 Votes (40.35% Vote Share). Harmohan Dhawan of Aam Aadmi Party got 13,781 Votes (3.02% Vote Share). Parveen Kumar of Bahujan Samaj Party got 7,396 Votes (1.62% Vote Share).
Tandon during poll promotion said that Chandigarh needs a person who is one of them and who has been with them through thick and thin. He said a strong Modi wave will help him score a landslide victory in the Chandigarh Lok Sabha election. Sanjay Tandon took a dig at Congress candidate Manish Tewari, who fought the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana and Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and said that Chandigarh needs a person who is one of them. The BJP has been calling Tewari an outsider in Chandigarh while the Congress leader has hit back, saying he has local roots. Tandon, the son of former Chhattisgarh governor and one of the founding members of the Jan Sangh late Balramji Das Tandon. Tewari tells people that he was born in Chandigarh whereas people here know me. He said, if 50 people come to meet me, I know the names of 40 of them. Tandon, who served as the president of the Chandigarh BJP for nearly a decade said.
