Voting begins in first phase of Lok Sabha polls

April 19, 2024 08:20

Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7 am.

Voters will exercise their franchise until 6.

Polling for assembly elections in the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also started along with voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday morning.

Arunachal will be polling for two Lok Sabha seats and the 60-member Assembly. Apart from Arunachal, Sikkim will vote for 32 assembly seats and a lone Lok Sabha seat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc -- Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance -- a coalition of opposing parties formed to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the general elections, is eyeing ousting him from power.

A total of 16.63 crore voters are going to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, deciding the fate of 1625 candidates, with Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Bhupendra Yadav, and Arjun Ram Meghwal among several Union ministers in the fray.

According to the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed across the 102 constituencies going to the polls.

The first phase, with the highest number of parliamentary constituencies among all seven phases, will witness polling in 21 states and Union Territories.

An estimated 8.4 crore male voters, 8.23 crore female voters, and 11,371 third-gender electors are eligible to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, according to the ECI data. Key issues ranging from unemployment, violence against women, long-pending grievances of farmers, paper leaks, land rights issues of tribal people, and a rise in prices are among the most debated across the country. -- ANI

IMAGE: Actor Rajnikanth casts his vote at a polling booth in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Photograph: ANI on X

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