In 21 states and Union territories, the first round of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections got underway today. Over 24.5% of voters nationwide had cast ballots by 11 a.m.
Elections are being held today for seats in the following states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
At about 2 lakh polling places, over 16.63 crore voters—more than 8 crore males and women combined—will cast their ballots.
Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Bhupendra Yadav, Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Sarbananda Sonowal are in the fray in the first phase. Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s Kanimozhi and BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai are also contesting the polls today.
While the BJP-led NDA is seeking a stronger majority, the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound. In 2019, the UPA had won 45 of the 102 seats at stake on Friday and the NDA 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.
The general elections to elect 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.
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