Campaigning for the fifth phase of voting in Lok Sabha elections concluded on Saturday evening.
In the fifth phase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , former party president Rahul Gandhi and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned extensively in different states, which will go to polls on 20th May.
On the last day of the campaign, Shah held a road show in UP’s Amethi for BJP’s nominee and Union Minister Smriti, while Congress’ Priyanka Vadra for KL Sharma. Kharge held a joint press conference with the parties of the INDIA bloc in Mumbai.
A total of 695 candidates are in the fray for the 49 parliamentary constituencies spread across eight States and Union Territories.
Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, include 14 parliamentary seats from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, seven from West Bengal, five each from Bihar and Odisha, three from Jharkhand, one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Prominent candidates from the BJP are Union Ministers—Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh), Smriti Irani (Amethi) and Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North, Maharashtra), while from Congress is Rahul Gandhi (Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh) and KL Sharma (Amethi).
Other key candidates are former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah(Baramulla) and president of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chirag Paswan (Hajipur, Patna).
The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases between 19th April and 1st June. The first phase of polling was held on 19th April, second phase on 26th April, third phase on 7th May and fourth phase on 13th May. The first phase recorded 66.14 percent voter turnout, second 66.71 percent, third 65.68 per cent and fourth 69.16 per cent.
The results will be declared on 4th June.