Can BJP’s Bishnu Pada Ray reclaim his throne? – India TV

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: The counting for the sole parliamentary seat of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is underway. This is a GENERAL category seat, which comprises a single Assembly segment – Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The seat went for voting in the first phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections on April 19. There are 12 candidates in the fray – but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) are the main parties in this seat.

Interestingly, the MP for Andaman and Nicobar Islands was not elected, but appointed by the President of India, until the 1967 election. This seat has been historically dominated by Congress, except when BJP won it in 1999, 2009 and 2014. It remains to be seen whether the BJP can defeat Congress once again this year.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Key candidates and parties

There are a total of 3.15 lakh voters from this island. A total of 12 candidates, including two women and five Independents, are vying for the Lok Sabha seat this year. However, the BJP and the Congress are the dominant parties in this seat. The BJP has fielded former MP Bishnu Pada Ray as its candidate against incumbent Congress candidate Kuldeep Rai Sharma. Ray was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999 from this seat after defeating Sharma. Since then, he has been re-elected two more times, in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014.

However, Ray was denied a ticket from this seat in the 2019 elections, and Sharma secured a narrow victory against BJP’s Vishal Jolly to become the MP. Ray’s comeback into the political fray makes this battle much more interesting, as the BJP seeks to break into the erstwhile Congress stronghold once again. The spoils of victory are great, as the islands play a crucial role in India’s defence architecture, including the Andaman and Nicobar Command.’

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Date of polls

This constituency went for polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on April 19.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voter turnout

Andaman and Nicobar Islands secured a voter turnout of 64.10 per cent in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in the first phase on April 19, marginally less than the 65.12 per cent it recorded in the 2019 elections.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Date of results

The results of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Elections will be declared on June 4.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha Elections 2024: What happened in 2019 and 2014?

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kuldeep Rai Sharma secured a narrow victory, defeating BJP’s Vishal Jolly by just 1,407 votes. Sharma got 95,308 votes with a vote share of 46 per cent while Jolly secured 93,901 votes (45.28 per cent). The voter turnout was 65.12 per cent in 2019.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Bishnu Pada Ray defeated Kuldeep Rai Sharma with a margin of 7,812 votes. Ray won the seat for the third time by winning 90,969 votes with a vote share of 47.79 per cent, while Sharma  secured 83,157 votes (43.69 per cent). The voter turnout was 70.66 per cent in 2014.