The Bharatiya Janata Party's Om Birla becomes the first Lok Sabha Speaker to be re-elected as MP in 20 years, according to latest data from the Election Commission of India.
Birla won with a margin of 41,974 votes against Prahlad Gunjal. Birla won 7,50,496 votes, whereas Gunjal gained 7,08,522 votes.
The BJP-led NDA is ahead in approximately 295 out of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, whereas the INDIA alliance is leading in more than 230 seats, as per the latest ECI data, which differ from the exit polls' forecasts of a significantly larger win for the NDA.
The constituency of Kota has become a significant battleground due to its key contenders—Om Birla from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prahlad Gunjal of the Indian National Congress. Birla, the current Lok Sabha Speaker, is looking to retain his seat for the third term whereas Gunjal is looking to make a comeback.
The capital of NEET and JEE coaching institutes has been known for its election battles. While Om Birla is looking for a third consecutive victory, Gunjal who was a former member of the BJP will contest as a Congress candidate for the first time.
This constituency has been a stronghold of the BJP with the party winning in both 2019 and 2014 elections. It was Birla who won with a margin of 2,79,677 votes in the 2019 election. In 2014, the current speaker won his first parliamentary election form the Kota constituency, with a total of 6,44,822 votes.
Gunjal is a former Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly for Kota. In 2014, he also won the first Lok Sabha election from Rajasthan's Kota-Bundi constituency.
The other contenders include Dhanraj Yadav from Bahujan Samaj Party, Tarun Gochar from Right to Recall Party and Ashish Yogi from Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal.
The constituency composed of eight Vidhan Sabha segments saw a voter turnout of 71.26% in the second phase of elections held on April 30. Among the voters, 73.47% were male, while female voter turnout was 68.92%.
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