(Inputs IANS)
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha elections, one of the most bitterly fought in recent memory will come to a close as the 9th phase of polling ends today, Monday May 12.
The polling is held in 41 constituencies in three states where stakes are high for BJP and regional parties Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP.
Over nine crore voters will decide the fate of 606 candidates, including BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal (both Varanasi) and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (Azamgarh) in the ninth and final phase of polling.
However the counting of votes in all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be taken up on May 16. An average of 66% voters exercised their franchise in the last eight phases. The whole elections were spread over 35 days.
The 9th phase of polling:
Balloting under way in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: Voting began Monday for the remaining 18 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the final round of India’s general election, officials said.
The most keenly-watched contest is in Varanasi, where Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is locked in a battle against Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Ajay Rai of the Congress.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting from Azamgarh, while Quami Ekta Dal leader Mukhtar Ansari is in the fray from Ghosi.
Congress has fielded Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Jaunpur.
A total of 328 candidates are in the fray. Over three crore are eligible to vote.
Balloting is taking place at 31,483 polling stations where more than 146,000 personnel have been deployed.
Voting on in West Bengal
Kolkata: Balloting is under way in West Bengal for the remaining 17 parliamentary seats of the state in the final stage of the Lok Sabha polls, officials said Monday.
The constituencies where voting is taking place are Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Bangaon, Barrackpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar, Tamluk, Kanthi and Ghatal.
In Dum Dum, two former union ministers, Saugata Roy of the Trinamool and BJP’s Tapan Sikdar, face Communist Party of India-Marxist’s Asim Dasgupta, who was the state finance minister for 24 years.
Subhashini Ali of the CPI-M takes on Trinamool heavyweight and former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi in Barrackpore.
Famous magician P.C. Sorcar Junior is fighting on a BJP ticket from Barasat.
In Krishnanagar, outgoing Trinamool MP and Bengali film actor Tapas Pal is battling against former union minister and BJP’S Satyabrata Mukhopadhyay and CPI-M’s Shantanu Jha.
CPI-M’s Sujon Chakraborty is pitted against Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew Sugata Bose (Trinamool) and painter Samir Aich (Congress) in Jadavpur.
A total of 188 candidates are in contention for the Lok Sabha seats. Besides, by-polls in two assembly constituencies are also taking place where nine candidates are contesting.
Balloting is taking place at 31,392 polling booths, where over 2.5 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise.
Polling on in Bihar
Patna: Balloting in Bihar began Monday for six parliamentary seats in the last phase of India’s general election, officials said.
The constituencies where voting is taking place are Valmiki Nagar, West Champaran, East Champaran, Vaishali, Gopalganj and Siwan.
Among the prominent candidates are former union ministers Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Raghunath Jha, filmmaker Prakash Jha, Hena Sahab, wife of jailed former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, and Anu Shukla, wife of jailed former legislator Munna Shukla.
In West Champaran, Prakash Jha is pitted against incumbent MP Sanjay Jaiswal of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Raghunath Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
In Siwan, Hena Sahab (RJD) is contesting against BJP’s 2009 winner Om Prakash Yadav.
In Vaishali, RJD’s Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is fighting it out against Lok Janshakti Party candidate Rama Singh. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has won the seat five times in the past.
A total of 90 candidates are in the electoral fray.
Polling is taking place in 8,582 polling stations. Over nine million people are eligible to vote.
