Voting for the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections began on Saturday morning across 58 parliamentary constituencies in six states and two Union Territories. The voting, which started at 7 am, will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by the closing time still allowed to vote.
Before voting began, mock polls were conducted for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha. This phase includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.
- All
- Uttar Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Tamil Nadu
- West Bengal
- Bihar
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
- Kerala
- Madhya Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Delhi
- Other States
Read More: India General Elections 2024 Live Updates
In Odisha, 42 assembly constituencies are also voting in the sixth phase, as the state holds assembly elections simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. All parliamentary seats in Delhi and Haryana are part of this phase. Prominent candidates include former Chief Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Mehbooba Mufti, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi.
Key seats
Key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk in the national capital, along with Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Other significant seats include Anantnag-Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, Tamluk and Medinipur in West Bengal, and Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, and Rohtak in Haryana.
In Delhi, AAP and Congress are jointly contesting against the BJP, which won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the last two elections. Congress is contesting three seats, and AAP four, as part of the INDIA bloc. The BJP’s campaign has been supported by rallies from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other party leaders. Senior Congress leaders have also held rallies, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought votes for AAP and Congress candidates.
Read More: Delhi Election Updates Live
In Haryana, AAP and Congress have also allied, where the BJP won all seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Some seats, including Hisar, are witnessing multi-cornered contests involving BJP, Congress, INLD, and Jannayak Janata Party. Haryana will also have assembly elections months after the Lok Sabha polls.
Odisha is seeing key battles in Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, and Puri. The Election Commission has directed state officials to manage the impact of hot weather or rainfall, ensuring polling stations have shade, drinking water, ramps, toilets, and other facilities for a comfortable voting experience.
The Election Commission has appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers and vote responsibly. Polling has already been completed in 428 constituencies across 25 states and UTs in the first five phases. Over 11.13 crore voters, including 5.84 crore males, 5.29 crore females, and 5,120 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials are involved in this phase.
Over 8.93 lakh voters aged over 85, 23,659 voters above 100, and 9.58 lakh PwD voters have the option to vote from home. The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir will vote today, after polling was rescheduled from May 7 to May 25.
The seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections will conclude on June 1, with results to be declared on June 4.