Live : Akola Assembly Election 2019

Once an Indian National Congress (INC or Congress) stronghold, the seat is currently held by Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He had won the elections to the 16th Lok Sabha with a margin of more than 2 lakh votes. Mr Dhotre was polled 4,56,472 while his nearest rival Hidayatulla Barkatulla Patel was polled 2,53,356. This is the third term for Mr Dhotre as he had won the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate.

Akola Lok Sabha constituency is consisted of six assembly seats from Maharashtra state assembly; Akot, Balapur, Akola West, Akola East, Murtizapur, Risod.

For Lok Sabha elections 2019, BJP has again fielded Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre and he has been pitched against INC's Hidayatulla Barakatulla Patel

Akola is the second constituency where Dalit leader and grandson of Dr. B.R Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar, is contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll safter Solapur as the candidate of his political front the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).

Mr. Ambedkar had succeeded in winning this constituency twice earlier (before the 2008 delimitation of the constituency), under the banner of Republican Party of India (RPI) in 1998 and as candidate of Bharipa Bahujan Mahasabha(BBM) in 1999.

The BVA, a social coalition of Dalits and Muslims, has been formed by Ambedkar in alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

The Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena combines are the other two major players in the poll fray.

Congress-NCP leaders have alleged the BVA is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra to help the ruling BJP-Sena alliance by cutting into opposition parties Dalit and Muslim votes.

According to Election Commission of India, 11 candidates are in the fray for General Elections 2019 in Akola. Akola votes on April 18, during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.