In the seventh and final phase of the general election on Saturday, polling is being held for 57 constituencies spread across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.

The voting is being held in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. 

Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are also taking place simultaneously.

Till 9 am, the approximate polling percentage was 11.31 per cent, according to the Election Commission's (EC) voter-turnout app.

A voter turnout of nearly 12.15 per cent was recorded in Jharkhand till 9 am. Uttar Pradesh logged a polling percentage of 12.94, West Bengal 12.63, Bihar 10.58 and Himachal Pradesh 14.35.

Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 9.64 per cent in the first two hours of polling while Chandigarh registered a voting percentage of 11.64. Odisha recorded around 7.69 per cent voting till 9 pm.

The voting began at 7 am. Voters were seen standing in queues in front of polling booths since early in the morning among severe heatwave conditions in several parts of the country. -- PTI