Today, in Phase Seven of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, seven states and one union territory, namely Bihar (8), Jharkhand (3), Himachal Pradesh (4), Odisha (6), Uttar Pradesh (13), West Bengal (9), Panjab (13), and Chandigarh (1) will vote to elect people’s representatives on a total of 57 seats. With the end of today’s voting, the biggest electoral extravaganza on the planet will come to a halt until next time. The mammoth election exercise, which commenced on April 19, has since covered 486 Lok Sabha seats out of a total of 543.
The most important constituency in the battle today has to be, without a doubt, Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting. Other contestants include film actress Kangana Ranaut from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Misa Bharati from Patli Putra in Bihar, and Heir Apparent of Mamata Banerjee in TMC, Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour constituency in West Bengal.
Punjab offers a peculiar political scene. While Congress and AAP are key constituents of the united opposition front, INDIA elsewhere, they fight against each other in Panjab. Old allies Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP have also fallen out with each other. With significant Dalit votes in Panjab, the BSP too has a stake in the elections.
EX Chief Minister and a Dalit, Charanjit Singh Channi, daughter-in-law of the mighty Badal family, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Ex I & B Minister Manish Tewari are some of the notables who are in the fray today.
The total number of eligible voters for the seventh phase is around 10.06 crore. It includes 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women, and 3,574 third-gender electors. Approximately 969 million people are registered to vote in this election. The turnout of voters was 66.1 percent, 66.7 percent, 61.0 percent, 67.3 percent, 60.5 percent, and 63.4 percent in the six phases, held so far, on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, and May 25 respectively.
Around 1.09 lakh polling stations are equipped with water, sheds, toilets, ramps, volunteers, wheelchairs, and electricity for comfortable voting for all, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Also Read: Phase Six of Lok Sabha Election: “Hanuz Dilli Door Ast”
