The first phase of voting for the Lok Sabha election 2024 began at 7 am on Friday, April 19. In the first phase, as many as 102 constituencies spanning across 21 states and Union Territories will cast their votes to elect their new members of parliament (MPs).

The Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. The results are also likely to be out on the same day.

The states where first phase of voting will be held are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.

Voting in the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry is also being held today.

Besides Lok Sabha elections, polling for assembly elections in the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim is also being held today.

While polling is being held for two Lok Sabha seats and the 60-member state legislative assembly in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam is voting for 32 assembly seats and a lone Lok Sabha seat.

According to the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed across the 102 constituencies going to the polls.

A total of 16.63 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls. They will decide the fate of 1625 candidates, including Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Bhupendra Yadav, and Arjun Ram Meghwal among others.

The Opposition is banking on key issues of employment, farmers and social justice to unseat the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the ruling BJP is seeking a third term in the name of development works done in the last 10 years.

The BJP has given a slogan of “abki baar 400 par” – refering to the target of 400 seats set by Modi for the NDA. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, seen by many as Opposition’s PM face, has predicted 150 seats for the ruling party and a majority for Congress-led INDIA bloc.