The counting of the ballots for the crucial Lok Sabha polls begins on Tuesday. Most of the exit polls have predicted that Narendra Modi is set to return as the prime minister for a third straight term with BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerging victorious with a thumping majority. Ahead of the counting, here's is a look at key constituencies and candidates to watch out for.
Apart from Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav are among the key candidates awaiting election results.
A number of Union ministers, including Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal and Dharmendra Pradhan, all Rajya Sabha members asked by the saffron party to contest the polls, and former chief ministers, such as the BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Basavaraj Bommai, Trivendra Singh Rawat and the Congress's Digvijay Singh and Bhupesh Baghel are also among the notable candidates awaiting results.
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Narendra Modi is a record-equalling third straight term in power from Varanasi. Congress leader Ajay Rai is the INDIA bloc's candidate fielded against Modi. BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi held the seat before PM Modi.
Home Minister Amit Shah is awaiting results from the Gandhinagar constituency, seeking a second term from the parliamentary seat. He is pitted against Congress leader Sonal Patel.
Rahul Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha poll from Rae Bareli against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. The seat, which until February was held by his mother Sonia Gandhi, has remained with the Congress since 1952 barring three elections 1977, (Janata Party), 1996 and 1999 (BJP). The Congress leader also faced elections from Wayanad in Kerala where he is facing CPI leader and women's rights activist Annie Raja.
Shashi Tharoor is seeking a re-election from Thiruvananthapuram for a fourth consecutive term and is pitted against Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who made his Lok Sabha poll debut.
Rajnath Singh is seeking a third term from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency where he is pitted against SP's Ravidas Mehrotra and BSP leader Sarwar Malik.
Akhilesh Yadav is awaiting results from Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, five members of the Yadav family of the Samajwadi Party, including Akhilesh. contested the Lok Sabha elections this time. Sitting MP Dimple Yadav has been fielded from Mainpuri, Dharmendra Yadav from Azamgarh, Akshaya Yadav from Firozabad and Aditya Yadav from Budaun.
