Today, polling is underway in the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections in 93 constituencies spanning 11 states and Union Territories. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that 1,331 candidates are contesting in this phase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among the initial voters on Tuesday. Ahead of casting his ballot, the PM encouraged all eligible voters in today’s phase to participate in large numbers. In a post on X, he expressed confidence that their active engagement would enhance the vibrancy of the elections.
The outcome of more than 283 Lok Sabha seats will be determined following the conclusion of today’s third phase. This indicates that elections for over half of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats will be completed within the initial three phases.
Voting commenced at 7 in the morning and will conclude at 6 in the evening. As of 1 pm, a voter turnout of approximately 39.92% was reported across 93 constituencies in Phase 3 of the election, as per the poll panel. West Bengal registered the highest turnout, 49.27%, by 1 pm.
On Tuesday, voting will conclude in the states of Gujarat and Goa, as well as in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Additionally, all 28 seats in Karnataka and 11 in Chhattisgarh will complete their Lok Sabha Election voting today, with 14 and 7 seats voting, respectively.
In addition to seats in other regions, the third phase includes four seats in Assam, five in Bihar, seven in Chhattisgarh, nine in Madhya Pradesh, eleven in Maharashtra, ten in Uttar Pradesh, and four in West Bengal.
Some of the prominent candidates whose electoral prospects will be decided today include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, running from Gandhinagar in Gujarat; Shivraj Singh Chouhan, contesting from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh; Jyotiraditya Scindia, contesting from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, and Dimple Yadav, contesting from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, among others.
In the third phase, a closely observed contest for the Baramati seat in Maharashtra is between Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, and his nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar.
In this phase of polling, Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya (from Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (from Rajkot), and Pralhad Joshi (from Dharwad) are also competing for seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, out of the 93 seats contested on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies secured victory in 75 seats, with 71 won solely by the BJP. Parties within the INDIA bloc had won 8 seats, while the Congress secured victory in just four seats. The undivided Shiv Sena secured four seats, the undivided NCP won three, the independents won two, and the AIUDF secured one seat.
In the third phase, 172.4 million voters are eligible to participate in the voting process. The poll panel has deployed approximately 18.5 lakh polling officials across 1.85 lakh stations. Among the eligible voters, over 14.04 lakh registered voters are aged 85 years and above, while another 39,599 are over 100 years old and participating in phase 3 polling.
The initial two phases of elections took place on April 19 and 26. Voting for all 543 Lok Sabha seats will occur across seven stages. The subsequent phases are scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Vote counting for all seven phases of the Lok Sabha Elections will be conducted on June 4.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP and aiming for a historic third term with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a goal of securing 400 seats in this election. The opposition parties, led by the Congress within the INDIA bloc, challenge the ruling alliance.
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