New Delhi Correspondent: A string of high-profile ruling BJP and opposition politicians will be in the fray as millions of Indians cast their votes 96 constituencies across ten states and union territories in the fourth phase of India’s marathon Lok Sabha elections today.
The voting begins at 7:00am and ends at 6:00pm with a favourable environment for voting as the met office said the heatwave that was partly blamed for lower voter turnout in the first three phases of polling will not affect the fourth phase.
In this phase, 17.7 crore eligible voters will seal the electoral fates of 1,717 candidates in EVMs in 1.92 lakh polling stations.
Polling has concluded in the three phases so far in 283 Lok Sabha constituencies across 20 states and union territories out of the total 543 constituencies. After the seventh and last phase of polling on June 1, the counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.
The parliamentary election is being fought between Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a record-equaling third term in office riding on a blend of development, social welfare and an aggressive Hindu nationalism. A multi-party opposition alliance is seeking to corner the government on issues relating to jobs and price rise.
An engrossing battle is expected in West Bengal where some prominent candidates are trying their luck in the fourth phase.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress is contesting from Baharampur constituency against Trinamool Congress’ candidate and former cricketer Yusuf Pthan. Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitr, who has been a ourspoken critic of the ruling BJP, is contesting from Krishnanagar while actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha is trying his luck from Asansol.
The other leading politicians in fray tomorrow include federal minister Giriraj Singh of BJP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BJP’s Arjun Munda and G Kishan Reddy.
The fourth phase also features Hyderabad where actress Maadhavi Latha of BJP is contesting against Asaduddin Owaisi, a four-time MP from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party.
The first three phases of the election, which were held on April 19, April 26 and May 7, saw a voter turnout of 66.1, 66.7 and 65.68 percent respectively compared to corresponding phases in the 2019 polls.
A total of 969 million people are registered to vote in 543 parliamentary constituencies this time.
Akhilesh Yadav is contesting in Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh eyeing to wrest the seat held by Subrata Pathak of BJP who had defeated Akhilesh’s wife Dimple in the previous general elections in 2019.
Baharampur constituency in West Bengal is also poised for a significant contest. Here, Congress and TMC, allies in the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, will compete against each other. Following the failure in seat-sharing negotiations, TMC fielded Yusuf Pathan as its candidate from this constituency.
Mahua Moitra is trying her luck from Krishnanagar where she faces the challenge of returning to parliament after her suspension last year due to her alleged involvement in a controversy over cash for asking questions in Lok Sabha last year. Moitra, who secured this parliamentary seat for the first time in 2019, aims at a big win against BJP nominee and debutant Amrita Roy who hails from a royal family.
The fourth phase will see voting completed in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.
Other states which are going to polls tomorrow are Uttar Pradesh (13/80 seats), Maharashtra (11/48 seats), Madhya Pradesh (8/29 seats), West Bengal (8/42 seats), Bihar (5/40 seats), Jharkhand (4/14 seats), Odisha (4/21 seats) and Jammu and Kashmir.
So far, voting has concluded for all seats in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Karnataka, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura; the Andaman and Nicobar islands; and the Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry union territories.
The fifth phase will kick off on May 20 and the sixth on May 25, before the election heads towards the seventh and final phase on June 1.
Separately, all 175 seats in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and 28 seats in Odisha Legislative Assembly will go to polls today.
