Ajay Maken, Kapil Sibal and Jayaprada (file pic)
Voting is taking place in 11 states and three union territories in round 3 of the national election that ends on May 12. Here is a look at the key contests
Top 10 contests in today's polling
In the capital's New Delhi constituency, Congress' Ajay Maken is pitted against lawyer-turned-politician Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP and journalist-turned-politician Ashish Khetan of the Aam Aadmi Party. After the December Delhi election, in which the AAP made a strong debut, placing second after the BJP, and decimated the Congress, Mr Maken is believed to have a tough fight on his hands. (Watch: The battle for New Delhi)
In the Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi, dominated by Muslims and Baniyas, Union Minister Kapil Sibal is seeking to score a hat-trick, but is facing a stiff challenge from Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan and AAP's candidate Ashutosh, a former journalist. (Watch: The battle for Chandni Chowk)
In East Delhi, Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit faces off with Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, 78, the AAP candidate. The BJP has fielded a little-known Mahesh Giri, an exponent of Art of Living. (Delhi's 1.2 crore voters to decide between BJP, Congress & AAP)
In Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, India's second largest Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP's General VK Singh is facing former actor Raj Babbar of the Congress and Shazia Ilmi of AAP. The constituency has voted BJP since 1991. BJP chief Rajnath Singh won it in 2009, but he is contesting from Lucknow this time. (Rajnath Singh files nomination from Lucknow)
In Haryana's Gurgaon, the constituency bordering Delhi in the south, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav is challenging the BJP's three-term MP and former union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. The Congress has fielded its three-term MLA Rao Dharampal and Zakir Hussain, a former MLA, is the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate.
In Hissar in Haryana, INLD president Om Prakash Chautala's grandson Dushyant is challenging Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, the MP from the seat. A lot rides on 26-year-old debutant Dushyant. Both his father Ajay and grandfather are in jail. The Congress has fielded six-term MLA and former minister Sampat Singh, who quit the INLD in 2009. (Read more...)
In Chandigarh, former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, a four-term MP who had to resign last year after his nephew was caught accepting bribe to arrange a better posting for a railway official, is being challenged by two actors - Kirron Kher of the BJP and AAP's Gul Panag. (Read more...)
In Maoist-hit Chhattisgarh, the contest in Bastar features Deepak Karma of the Congress and tribal activist Soni Sori from AAP. Deepak Karma is the son of Mahendra Karma, who was killed in a Maoist attack in May last, along with several other Congress leaders. Soni Sori was arrested on charges of helping Maoists and later acquitted by a court. She alleges that she had been tortured in custody. (Watch: First time voters discuss key issues in Chhattisgarh)
In Bijnor in UP, Jaya Prada is the Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate. She faces Bhartendra Kumar of the BJP, who is one of the politicians accused of inciting riots in Muzaffarnagar in September last, in which killed 60 people and displaced thousands. (Three southern stars hope to win over western Uttar Pradesh)
In Nagpur in Maharashtra, former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari is facing off against an activist who has run a relentless campaign against him, accusing him of corruption. Anjali Damania is the AAP candidate. (The Nagpur Battle: Gadkari vs Muttemwar vs Damania)
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