India Elections 2024: Nearly 60% polling in last phase |
The world`s largest democracy concluded its festival of franchise on 1st June 2024 with a landmark nearly 600 million or more of 980 million citizens casting their votes. The seventh phase in a 5-week election process saw almost 60% polling.
The state of Punjab voted for 13 Members of Parliament (MP). The triangular contest saw a fight between INDI Alliance, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party having a "friendly" contest, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Akali Dal.
The BJP is hoping for a historic third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Center. The counting post elections takes place on Tuesday on 4th June.
In Bengal, where voting is taking place on nine seats, there were reports of violence in various pockets, including in state capital Kolkata.
Of the 57 seats, nine are from West Bengal, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Bihar, six from Odisha, four from Himachal Pradesh, three from Jharkhand, and the lone seat of Union Territory Chandigarh. Polling also took place for the remaining 42 assembly seats and six Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.
By-elections are being held on six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, which will also have a bearing on the fortunes of the state`s Congress government. All six seats were held by the Congress but the MLAs had turned rebel and cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha, upper house of Indian Parliament, election and then resigned and joined the BJP.
Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also voted on 1st June. PM Modi had won the seat first in 2014.
The other prominent leaders in fray include the BJP`s Union Minister Anurag Thakur, who is contesting from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, junior finance minister Pankaj Chaudhary from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, and actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, who is contesting from Mandi, Himachal. The other actor-politician Ravi Kishan is contesting from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
From the Opposition, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee`s nephew and Trinamool Congress candidate Abhishek Banerjee contested from Diamond Harbour, Bengal; Misa Bharti, daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad from Pataliputra, Bihar; and Congress`s Charanjeet Singh Channi from Jalandhar, Punjab.
Exit polls, which were initially boycotted by the Congress, showed a resounding third term for Prime Minister Modi.
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