Voting is underway for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections. In this phase polling is being held in 57 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over seven States and one Union Territory. These include 13 seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and one Parliamentary Constituency in Chandigarh. The voting began at 7 this morning and will conclude at 6 in the evening.
Over 40 percent voter turn out was recorded till 1 PM
State wise polling percentage is:
Himachal Pradesh, nearly 49 per cent
Jharkhand, nearly 47 per cent
West Bengal over 45 per cent
Chandigarh, over 40 per cent
Uttar Pradesh over 39 per cent
Punjab and Odisha, nearly 38 per cent
Bihar, nearly 36 per cent
A total of 904 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Prominent among them are: Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi, party leaders Anurag Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Kangana Ranaut, Congress leader Manish Tiwari and Vikramaditya Singh, RJD leader Misa Bharti, and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee.
Over 10 crore 60 lakh voters are eligible to vote in this phase. Simultaneously, polling is being held for remaining 42 seats of Odisha Assembly in the fourth phase. In addition, Assembly by-elections for six constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and one seat each in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also taking place.
This seventh phase will mark a grand finish to the world’s largest polling marathon that began on 19th of April and has already covered 486 Lok Sabha seats.
As the nation braces for the end of this electoral marathon, anticipation mounts for the momentous day of reckoning when the fate of political leaders will be determined. Preparations are in full swing for the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday.
In Jharkhand, peaceful polling is underway in Godda, Dumka and Rajmahal constituencies. Technical glitches in EVMs were reported at some places. Polling will be held till 5 this evening in the state. Akashvani correspondent reports more voter turnout in rural areas in compared to urban areas. Patrolling has been intensified in sensitive areas to avert untoward incidents.
In Odisha, voting so far has been low due to scorching heat prevailing in the state. It is expected to increase later in the day. One booth-level Officer died of heart attack during the voting process. The Election Commission has deployed Asha workers and volunteers in every polling booth to help the voters. Arrangements like drinking water, ORS, sheds and treatment for heatwave-affected voters have been made in all the booths. The fate of 460 candidates in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will be decided in the polling today.
In Uttar Pradesh, actor Ravi Kishan of BJP, Actress Kajal Nishad of Samajwadi Party, and Javed Simnani of BSP are in the fray for the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cast his vote at Gorakhnath Girls Primary School this morning. Ravi Kishan voted at Taramandal polling booth in the city, Kajal Nishad voted at Indira Nagar. Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla exercised his franchise at St. Andrews Inter College. Rajya Sabha MP Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal also voted in the city.
Disclaimer: This press release is sourced from News On AIR, Prasar Bharti and Press Information Bureau India (PIB).
