2024 LS election to kick off with first and largest phase on Friday, several heavyweights in fray

New Delhi, April 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) Launching the electoral process in the world's biggest and most vibrant democracy, polling in the first and largest phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 is set to begin on Friday morning for 102 constituencies in 21 states/UTs, spanning Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra to Mizoram.

Polling to elect new Assemblies in Arunachal and Sikkim will be held simultaneously on the first day.

Over 16.63 crore voters, including 35 lakh first-time voters and 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years, are eligible to head to 1.87 lakh polling stations across the country from 7 a.m. to decide the fate of 1,625 candidates, including several heavyweights including eight Union Ministers, a former Governor, and two former Chief Ministers. Polling will end in most constituencies by 6 p.m., th

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has seen a huge expansion of infrastructure in the country, is a candidate from Maharashtra's Nagpur, while cabinet colleague Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting from Assam's Dibrugarh constituency in Assam. Kiran Rijiju, the Union Minister is also a candidate from Arunachal Pradesh West. Rijiju is facing competition from former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. Similarly, Union Minister Jitendra Singh is contesting from the Udhampur constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, while Union Minister Bhupender Yadav from Alwar, Rajasthan, and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Rajasthan are also in the electoral fray. In Tamil Nadu, Union Minister L. Murugan is contesting from the Nilgiris constituency.

In the South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP has fielded Telangana's former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan as its candidate. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb is contesting from West Tripura.

Polling will end in most constituencies by 6 p.m., th

The voting in all 102 constituencies will end at 6 p.m. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, voters will cast their ballots to elect their representative for the lone Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, Arunachal Pradesh will see voting in both the East and West constituencies. Assam, a state with political significance, will witness polling in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur constituencies. This phase also marks the beginning of the electoral process in Bihar, with constituencies like Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, and Nawada heading to the polls. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Udhampur constituency will be up for voting, amid ongoing political developments in the region. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh's Bastar constituency will also see participation in the democratic exercise. The picturesque Lakshadweep, represented by a single parliamentary seat, will engage in the electoral process. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh will witness voting across constituencies including Chhindwara, Balaghat, Jabalpur, Mandla, Sidhi, and Shahdol. Maharashtra, a key state in Indian politics, will have constituencies like Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Ramtek, and Nagpur are also in the electoral process. Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, and Nagaur in Rajasthan will witness polling in the first phase. In the northeastern states, Manipur will see voting in both the Inner and Outer Manipur constituencies. Meghalaya will have voting in Shillong and Tura constituencies, while Mizoram and Nagaland will each have their sole constituencies casting votes. Tamil Nadu, a state with a significant number of constituencies, will witness polling across the state, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Salem, Madurai, and others. In the eastern region, Tripura West will have its constituency engaging in the electoral process. Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand, constituencies like Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, and Haridwar will participate in the first phase. Finally, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will also contribute to this phase of voting. West Bengal's Coochbehar, Alipurduars, and Jalpaiguri will see participation, while Uttar Pradesh will have constituencies including Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Rampur, and others taking part. The Election Commission has deployed a total of 4,627 flying squads, 5,208 static surveillance teams, 2,028 video surveillance teams, and 1,255 video viewing teams. A total of 1,374 inter-state and 162 international border checkpoints are closely monitoring any illegal flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Strict surveillance is being maintained on maritime and aerial routes as well.

IANS ssh/

Source: IANS