In Sikkim, elections are being held for 32 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat

At 7 am on Friday, polling for Sikkim’s lone Lok Sabha seat and 32 assembly seats started concurrently.

The polls will close at 5:00 p.m.

Over 7.66 percent of the 4.64 lakh voters in 32 Assembly seats and Sikkim’s lone Lok Sabha seat, according to authorities, had cast ballots as of 9 a.m. on Friday.

In the Himalayan state, more than 4.64 lakh eligible voters may cast ballots to choose their members in the assembly and one MP for the Lok Sabha.

For 32 assembly seats, 146 individuals are running, including Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, his predecessor Pawan Kumar Chamling, former football player Bhaichung Bhutia, and Tamang’s spouse Krishna Kumari Rai.

There are fourteen contenders vying for the one Lok Sabha seat, including SDF’s PD Rai and incumbent MP Indra Hang Subba.

Tamang and Chamling are running from two seats each in the legislature.

Sikkim Chief Electoral Officer D Anandan told PTI that voting is now taking place in 573 polling places, of which 88 are in urban regions and 485 are in rural areas.

According to him, thirteen CAPF companies—five from ITBP and eight from SSB—have been sent to Sikkim. He informed PTI of this.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pushing voters to cast ballots in unprecedented numbers as the world’s biggest election exercise gets started. On Friday, voting began in 102 Lok Sabha seats located across 21 states and Union territories.

He specifically urged young people and first-time voters to cast a sizable ballot.

The polls close at 6 PM, having opened at 7 AM. In this phase, about 16.63 crore individuals may cast a vote. In addition to 3.51 crore young voters in the 20–29 age range, there are 35.67 lakh first-time voters in the first round of voting.