Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections kicked off bright and early at 7 a.m. today, May 13th. This phase is super exciting because it covers a whopping 96 seats across 10 States and Union Territories. Voting will be open until 6 p.m., giving everyone plenty of time to cast their important votes and make their voices heard.
The fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election is in full swing. By 1 p.m., a significant 40.32% of voters had already cast their valuable votes across 96 constituencies in nine States and one Union Territory. However, there have been some unfortunate incidents, such as reports of violence in Andhra Pradesh and poll boycotts in certain villages of Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, there were instances of EVM malfunctioning in some booths in West Bengal and Odisha. Despite these challenges, it’s amazing to see the enthusiasm of the voters. Interestingly, Jammu and Kashmir had the lowest voting percentage until 11 a.m., with only 14.94% of voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal took the lead with an impressive 32.78%.
It’s not just the Lok Sabha seats that are up for grabs today. The state legislative assembly of Andhra Pradesh, with all 175 seats, and Odisha, with 28 seats, is also witnessing the polling action.
Voters are casting their important ballots in various Lok Sabha seats across different states. In Telangana, all 17 seats are in the spotlight, while Andhra Pradesh has 25 seats, Uttar Pradesh has 13, Bihar has 5, Jharkhand has 4, Madhya Pradesh has 8, Maharashtra has 11, Odisha has 4, West Bengal has 8, and Jammu and Kashmir has 1. However, it’s disheartening to hear about the violence that broke out in parts of West Bengal during the polling process. According to the Election Commission of India, a total of 1,717 candidates from 10 states and Union Territories are contesting the elections in Phase 4, with a whopping 4,264 nominations filed for the 96 parliamentary constituencies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA seems to have quite a presence in this phase of the Lok Sabha polls! They have MPs from over 40 of the 96 seats that are up for grabs. All eyes are on some really high-profile contests happening right now. We’ve got former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the race from Kannauj, along with Union ministers Giriraj Singh in Begusarai, Nityanand Rai in Ujiarpur, and Raosaheb Danve in Jalna. It’s gonna be intense.
And let’s not forget about Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, and BJP’s Pankaja Munde, who are all vying for victory in their respective constituencies. We’ve also got AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Andhra Pradesh Congress president YS Sharmila in the spotlight. Oh, and TMC’s Mahua Moitra is seeking reelection, while the battle heats up between film star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and BJP’s veteran leader SS Ahluwalia.
The India Meteorological Department has some good news for the areas where the parliamentary constituencies are going to polls in the fourth phase! They’re predicting normal to below-normal temperatures, so no heatwave-like conditions to worry about on polling day. Phew. Now, let’s talk about the voter turnout in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. It’s been pretty impressive. We’re looking at 66.14%, 66.71%, and 65.68% turnout in those phases, respectively. People are definitely showing up to make their voices heard.
