Polling for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections will start shortly at as many as 49 constituencies across six states and two Union Territories. This round will decide the electoral fate of many prominent leaders, including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
A total of 695 candidates, including 82 women, are in the fray for the 49 seats going to the polls. Over 8.95 crore people, including 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this round. To facilitate the process, 9.47 lakh polling officials have been deployed across 94,732 polling stations across the country.
The constituencies going to the polls include:
Maharashtra: 13 seats
Uttar Pradesh: 14 seats
West Bengal: 7 seats
Bihar: 5 seats
Jharkhand: 3 seats
Odisha: 5 seats
Jammu and Kashmir: 1 seat
Ladakh: 1 seat
The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections covers the least number of seats (49), with over 40 of these seats previously held by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In Maharashtra, polling will be held in Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South, Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, and Bhiwandi.
Uttar Pradesh’s constituencies of Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Mohanlalganj, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Gonda, Barabanki, Faizabad, and Kaiserganj will also go to the polls on May 20.
In West Bengal, elections will be held in Howrah, Hooghly, Arambagh, Bangaon, Barrackpur, Srerampur, and Uluberia. In Bihar, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Hajipur, Sitamarhi, and Saran will vote in the fifth phase.
Chatra, Kodarma, and Hazaribagh seats in Jharkhand, along with Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, and Aska in Odisha, will also elect their MPs.
Polling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla and Ladakh will also be completed in this round.
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