Prominent candidates on the ballot in first phase of Lok Sabha polls

Among the 1,625 candidates in the fray in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections are union ministers, a former governor and sons and nephews of former chief ministers.

The biggest name on the ballot on Friday is Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari. With close ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gadkari is fighting from his home seat of Nagpur in Maharashtra, and hopes for a third consecutive victory.

Also in the fray is Kiren Rijiju, a three-time MP and minister of earth sciences. Rijiju is vying for reelection from the Arunachal West constituency and is pitted against former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh is contesting from the sole Jammu and Kashmir seat going to polls in the first phase, Udhampur.

From the opposition Congress, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath aims for re-election from Chhindwara, a seat long held by his father.

Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha, is contesting from Jorhat in Assam. The son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi will take on incumbent MP from the BJP, Topon Kumar Gogoi.

Battleground Tamil Nadu

Former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan returns to electoral politics as the BJP candidate from South Chennai. BJP state president K Annamalai is contesting from Coimbatore.

Late DMK supremo Karunanidhi's daughter and Chief Minister MK Stalin's sister Kanimozhi is seeking reelection from Thoothukudi. In 2019, she defeated Tamilisai Soundararajan in the constituency.

UPA-era minister Dayanidhi Maran looks to maintain the stronghold of the ruling DMK in Chennai Central. He is the incumbent MP from the constituency that he has won in 2004, 2009 and 2019.