May 7 polls ..... BJP enters its 'stronghold pockets' ::::: In 2019 - Congress could win only 4; and Lotus party picked up 72

Lok Sabha Phase 3: BJP has many strongholds in Gujarat, Karnataka, Congress is much weaker .... to the level of a negligible force

Of the 47 strongholds among these seats — constituencies won by the same party in the last three general elections — the BJP has 42, showcasing its strength, especially in Gujarat and Karnataka. 

The Congress holds just one and other parties hold four such seats.

A total of 95 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories will go to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 7.

Of the 95 seats -- the BJP had bagged only 47 in 2009 and now they increased it to as many as 72 in 2019.  

This phase includes all seats in Gujarat, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, along with significant contests in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

In 2009, the BJP won 47 seats, which rose to 67 in 2014 and further to 72 in 2019. The party’s vote share, too, remained very high in these seats. The party bagged more than 40 per cent vote share on 78 seats. 

In contrast, the Congress decline was remarkable - from 27 seats in 2009 to 9 in 2014, and just four in 2019.

credit: 'India Today' 

In Uttar Pradesh :  March to Delhi via Yadav-heartland in Uttar Pradesh   

The 10 parliamentary seats going to the polls in UP in the third phase on May 7 are - Agra, Aonla, Badaun, Bareilly, Etah, Fatehpur Sikri, Hathras and Sambhal besides Firozabad and Mainpuri.  

Narendra Modi-led came to power in 2014 after the saffron outfit secured 282 seats in the 543-strong parliament in the 2014 general election. 

Modi's chief pledge was to transform India's economy and ensure a corruption-free regime.

He promised an inclusive India and of course 'the achhey din (happier days) - pledging the tough 10 million new jobs per year and increasing farm incomes by 2022.

Some of these promises and their implementation remain debated even up to 2024.  

One fruit seller at Agra says, "In 2014 and 2019, Modi made a lot of promises. He delivered some; and failed some. But he fulfilled all promises made to Hindus including Ram temple and Art 370;  but failed on all promises made for Muslims".

A series of structural economic reforms such as Goods and Service Tax and demonetization remain hallmarks of the Modi government. These were almost game-changers. However, critics said, although the Goods and Service Tax (GST) was a landmark legislation that overhauled India's indirect tax regime, it was allegedly burdened by a complex infrastructure.