UP records 49.3% polling in by-elections; exit polls predict BJP to win maximum seats
Minor reports of violence were received from Meerapur, Sismau, and Kundarki assembly segments, but by and large, the voting was peaceful, EC officials claimed.
The high-pitched campaigning for sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls ended on Thursday, with party heavyweights of all political parties reaching out to voters across 58 parliamentary constituencies in eight states and Union territories.
On the last day of campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Haryana’s Bhiwani, Defence minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi’s Dwarka, and Union minister Piyush Goyal held a road show in Najafgarh area of the national capital in support of BJP candidates.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in support of the party candidate under North East Delhi parliamentary seat and later held ‘Mahila Vichar Vimarsh’ in Mangolpuri here, while party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a road show in Haryana’s Sirsa.
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The leaders of the BJP and opposition-backed INDIA bloc did not leave any stone unturned to woo the voters during their campaigning.
In the sixth phase, polling will be held on May 25.
These 58 Lok Sabha seats include 14 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Haryana, eight each from Bihar and West Bengal, seven from Delhi, six from Odisha, four from Jharkhand, and one from Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 889 candidates are in the fray in the sixth phase of the crucial general election.
Key candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Sambalpur, Odisha), former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal), Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi) and Bansuri Swaraj (New Delhi); while from the Congress is Kumari Selja (Sirsa, Haryana), Deepender Singh Hooda (Rohtak, Haryana), J P Agarwal (Chandni Chowk), and Kanhaiya Kumar (North East Delhi).
Another prominent candidate is senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti (New Delhi).
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, fourth phase on 13th May and fifth phase on 20th May. The first phase recorded 66.14 percent voter turnout, second 66.71 percent, third 65.68 per cent, fourth 69.16 per cent and fifth phase 62.2 per cent.
The sixth phase of voting is scheduled to take place on 25th May and the seventh and final phase on June 1. The results will be declared on 4th June.
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