Campaigning for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections came to a halt on Saturday. In this phase scheduled for May 20, voting will take place on 49 seats across six states and two union territories. Notable seats in this phase include Rae Bareli, where Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani will be contesting. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala and is looking to secure the stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family in Rae Bareli, previously represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. BJP has fielded UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh for this seat.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a road show in Soibugh on the last day of the campaign, a village that was once a center of militancy. Over 40 of the 49 seats in the fifth phase are currently held by the NDA. During campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders focused on issues like appeasement, dynastic politics, the Ram temple, citizenship, and Article 370, while trying to counter the challenge posed by INDIA block parties. Modi alleged that if SP and Congress come to power, they will demolish the Ram temple and bring back Article 370.

The INDIA block parties, including Congress, accused BJP of polarizing voters with its Hindu-Muslim politics and diverting attention from key issues like unemployment and inflation. There will be voting on 13 seats in Maharashtra, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in West Bengal, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand, five in Odisha, and one each in Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh on May 20. This phase will witness the least number of seats (49) going to polls. Additionally, parties campaigned for the Odisha Assembly elections simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

In the fifth phase, many ministers are contesting including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Smriti Irani, and other BJP leaders like Kaushal Kishore and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi made an emotional appeal at a rally in Rae Bareli, entrusting her son Rahul Gandhi to the people and expressing confidence in him. Rahul Gandhi, alongside Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, stated that the youth have decided to not support Narendra Modi and predicted the formation of an Indian coalition government after June 4.. Read More Here