The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections is set to begin shortly, involving 49 constituencies across six states and two Union Territories. This round will determine the electoral fate of several prominent leaders, including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Total voter turnout for Lok Sabha Election Phase 5
A total of 695 candidates, including 82 women, are contesting for the 49 seats in the upcoming polls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has urged voters to turn out in greater numbers, expressing concern about the low turnout in the previous four phases.
The high-pitched campaign for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections saw an intense war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition-led INDIA bloc.
PM Modi and other BJP leaders also alleged that Congress, if elected, would allocate 15 percent of the budget to Muslims, a claim the opposition party outrightly rejected.
In this round, over 8.95 crore people are eligible to vote, including 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender electors. To facilitate the process, 9.47 lakh polling officials have been deployed at 94,732 polling stations nationwide.
The constituencies set to vote 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 fewest seats (49), with over 40 of these previously held by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In Maharashtra, voting will take place 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.
In Uttar Pradesh, the constituencies of Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Mohanlalganj, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Gonda, Barabanki, Faizabad, and Kaiserganj will vote on May 20.
West Bengal will hold elections in Howrah, Hooghly, Arambagh, Bangaon, Barrackpur, Srerampur, and Uluberia. In Bihar, voters in Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Hajipur, Sitamarhi, and Saran will cast their ballots in the fifth phase.
Jharkhand’s Chatra, Kodarma, and Hazaribagh, along with Odisha’s Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, and Aska, will elect their MPs.
Polling will also be completed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla and Ladakh during this round.
Key Constituencies Battel
In Uttar Pradesh, Smriti Irani competes against Congress’s LK Sharma in Amethi, while Rahul Gandhi challenges BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli. For Lucknow, Rajnath Singh faces SP’s Ravidas Mehrotra.
In Bihar, Chirag Paswan goes up against RJD’s Shiv Chandra Ram in Hajipur, while BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy confronts Rohini Acharya in Saran.
For Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone stand out as prominent candidates in Baramulla.
