Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections will see voting for 102 seats

The massive seven-phase electoral procedure for the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 got off at 7 am on Friday, including 102 parliamentary seats across 21 states and Union Territories.

Voters may use their right to vote till 6:00 p.m.

On Friday morning, voting for the first round of the Lok Sabha elections began concurrently with the polling for assembly elections in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Voting in Arunachal will take place for the 60-member Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats. Sikkim will cast ballots for 32 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat, excluding Arunachal.

While the opposition group, India, a coalition of opposing parties created to challenge the BJP in the general elections, is aiming to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from office, the latter is vying for a third straight term in office.

Opposition politicians, like as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, are being detained under allegations of corruption in the liquor policy case, coinciding with the 2024 elections.

The governing BJP has refuted the opposition’s allegations that they have not been given an equal playing field. In addition, the Congress party accused the governing party in the Center of being responsible for the income tax authorities freezing their accounts weeks before to the elections.

In the first round of the Lok Sabha elections, 16.63 crore people will cast their votes to determine the destiny of 1625 candidates, including prominent Union ministers such as Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Bhupendra Yadav, and Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued statistics indicating that 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up and 18 lakh workers have been deployed throughout the 102 seats that will be voting.

Polling will take place in 21 states and Union Territories during the first phase, which contains the most parliamentary seats out of the seven stages.

The ECI data indicates that 11,371 voters of the third gender, 8.4 crore voters of the male gender, and 8.23 crore voters of the female gender are eligible to vote in the first round of the Lok Sabha elections. Some of the most hotly contested topics in the nation include unemployment, violence against women, long-standing farmer problems, paper leaks, tribal people’s land rights, and rising costs.

According to a recent pre-poll study conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), price increases and unemployment are the top worries among Indian voters. Assamese estate workers are demanding better salaries and amenities, and this would give voice to their predicament as tea garden workers.

According to reports, the estate workers’ top concerns are health and education. Out of the 14 constituencies, Assam will vote in five Lok Sabha seats in the first round. Among the most talked-about topics in states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh were inflation, farmers’ concerns, crimes against women, and paper leaks.

In Puducherry, Union Territory, the impending complete statehood was the main topic of discussion.

While awaiting the people’s court’s ultimate decision, Tamil Nadu has sought the planned AIIMS, an exemption from the NEET exams, and flood assistance.

Today is Manipur’s election, where ethnic division and violence have been prevalent for almost a year. ECI is arranging special voting arrangements for people who have been internally displaced. Women in Imphal conduct pooja in front of voting booth number 16.

Manipur’s parliamentary seats will be the subject of two rounds of elections. Elections in the Outer Manipur constituency will take place over two days, on April 19 and 26, while the Inner Manipur constituency will hold elections on April 19.

In Imphal East, next to a relief camp, nine special voting places have been established for internally displaced individuals.

For the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh as their candidate, while the Indian National Congress has put forward Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.

The first phase of voting will take place in Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

Nagaland, a state in northeast India, is getting ready to cast its one and only ballot in the next election while dealing with a number of social and political issues, such as unemployment and poor healthcare facilities.

Among the main requests from Uttarakhand are better tourist management, long-overdue demands from sugarcane producers, and strengthened environmental protection laws.

Five Lok Sabha seats will be up for election in Uttarakhand. The first phase of West Bengal’s three-seat vote is being determined by the economic hardships of Sandeshkhali and tea garden workers.

Important candidates and areas in the Lok Sabha elections’ first phase: In Uttar Pradesh, eight of the state’s eighty parliamentary seats will vote on Friday.

1. Pilibhit: Anis Ahmed Khan (BSP) and Bhagwant Saran Gangwar (SP) square off against Jitin Prasada (BJP).

2. Saharanpur: Majid Ali (BSP) and Imran Masood (Congress) square off against Raghav Lakhanpal (BJP).

3. Kairana: Iqra Hasan (SP) and Sripal Singh (BSP) square off against Pradeep Kumar (BJP).

4. Muzaffarnagar: Dara Singh Prajapati (BSP) and Harindra Malik (SP) are facing off against Sanjeev Balyan (BJP).

5. Rampur: Zeeshan Khan (BSP) takes on Ghanshyam Lodhi (BJP).

6. Moradabad: Mohd. Irfan Saifi (BSP) vs. Sarvesh Singh (BJP) 7. Bijnor: Yashvir Singh (SP) and Vijendra Singh (BSP) are running against Chandan Chauhan (RLD).

8. Nagina: Chandra Shekhar Azad (Azad Samaj Party), Manoj Kumar (SP), and Surendra Pal Singh (BSP) square off against Om Kumar (BJP).

There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, and tomorrow there will be voting in five constituencies. Among the seats are: 1. Nagpur: Congressman Vikas Thakare, the current Nagpur West MLA, is facing off against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (BJP).

2. Chandrapur: Pratibha Dhanorkar (Congress) is running against Sudhir Mungantiwar (BJP). 3. Bhandara, Gujarat: Congressman Dr. Prashant Patole takes on incumbent lawmaker Sunil Mendhe (BJP). 4. Gadchiroli-Chimur: Ashok Nete (BJP) is up against Hitesh Pandurang Madavi (VBA) and Namdev Kirsan (Congress).

There are 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, and three of them seats will be up for election today.

1. Cooch Behar: Jagadish Chandra Burma Basunia (TMC) and Pia Roy Chowdhury (Congress) are the opponents of incumbent MP Nishith Pramanik (BJP). 2. Alipurduars: Prakash Chik Baraik (TMC) is facing off against Manoj Tigga (BJP).

3. Jalapiguri: Debraj Barman (CPI-M) and Nirmal Chandra Roy (TMC) are running against the current Member of Parliament (BJP), Jayanta Kumar Roy. Today’s elections will be held in one Puducherry seat and all 39 Tamil Nadu seats. Several of the important seats are: 1. Coimbatore: Ganapathy P Rajkumar (DMK) and Singai Ramachandran (AIADMK) are the opponents of state BJP president K Annamalai.

2. Kanimozhi (DMK) is running against AIADMK candidate R Sivasami Velumani in Thoothukudi. 3. Chennai South: Tamilisai Soundararajan, a former governor of Telangana, has been nominated by the BJP. The leader of the DMK and current MP, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, opposes her. Jayavardhan is running for AIADMK.

4. Krishnagiri: Vidhya Rani, a candidate from the Krishnagiri seat, is the daughter of the deceased sandalwood smuggler Veerappan. She is running against C Narasimhan (BJP) and K Gopinath (Congress), having been fielded by Naam Tamilar Katchi.

5. Chennai Central: B Parthasarathy (DMDK) and Vinoj P Selvam (BJP) square off against Dayanidhi Maran (DMK). 6. Nilgiris: Union Minister and BJP leader L Murugan is facing off against A Raja (DMK). Lokesh Tamilselvan has received a ticket from AIADMK.

7. Sivaganga: A Xavier (AIADMK) and Congressman Karti Chidambaram are the opponents of Devanathan Yadav (BJP).

Five of Assam’s fourteen Lok Sabha seats will be up for election in the first phase.

1. Dibrugarh: Lurinjyoti Gogoi (INDIA bloc) is running against Sarbananda Sonowal (BJP).

2. Jorhat: Gaurav Gogoi (Congress) and Topon Kumar Gogoi (BJP) face off. 3. Kaziranga: Roselina Tirkey of the Congress is running against Kamakhya Prasad Tasa of the BJP. 4. Pradan Baruah (BJP) is running against Congressman Uday Shankar Hazarika in Lakhimpur. 5. Sonitpur: Ranjit Dutta of the BJP is a contender against Premlal Ganju.

Four of Bihar’s forty Lok Sabha seats will hold elections today.

1. Aurangabad: Abhay Kushwaha (RJD) opposes Sushil Kumar Singh (BJP). 2. Gaya: Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM) is up against Kumar Sarvjeet (RJD). 3. Jamui: Arun Bharti (LJP-Ram Vilas) is running against Archana Kumari (RJD). 4. Vivek Thakur (BJP) and Shrawan Kumar (RJD) square off at Nawada. Six of Madhya Pradesh’s 29 Lok Sabha seats are up for election today.

1. Chhindwara: Vivek Bunty Sahu (BJP) is against incumbent MP Nakul Nath (Congress).

2. Balaghat: Samrat Saraswat (Congress) is up against Bharti Pardhi (BJP). 3. Jabalpur: Dinesh Yadav (Congress) faces up against Ashish Dubey (BJP).

4. Mandla: Omkar Singh Markam (Congress) is running against Faggan Singh Kulaste (BJP). 5. Shahdol: The Congressman Phunde Lal Singh Marko is facing up against Himadri Singh, the sitting MP for the BJP. 6. Sidhi: Kamaleshwar Patel (Congress) is matched against Rajesh Mishra (BJP). The first phase of elections will be held for all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand.

1. Haridwar: Trivendra Singh Rawat (BJP) is up against Virendra Rawat (Congress), the son of former chief minister Harish Rawat. 2. Pauri Garhwal: Chief of the State Congress Ganesh Godiyal is running against BJP candidate Anil Baluni. 3. Tehri Garhwal: Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the current member of parliament, is battling Jot Singh Gunsola (Congress). 4. Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar: Congress candidate Prakash Joshi is running against sitting Member of Parliament Ajay Bhatt (BJP).

5. Almora: Voters in 12 of Rajasthan’s 25 seats will cast ballots in the first round of the election, with sitting Member of Parliament Ajay Tamta facing off against Congressman Pradeep Tamta. Important stakeholders consist of: 1. Bikaner: Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Law Minister (BJP), is a contender against Madan Gopal Meghwal (Congress). 2. Churu: Rahul Kaswan (Congress) is running against Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia (BJP). 3. Nagaur: Rashtriya Loktantrik Party’s Hanuman Beniwal is up against Jyoti Mirdha (BJP) (RLP) 4. Sikar: Amra Ram of the CPI(M) opposes Swami Sumedhanand (BJP) 5. Jhunjhunu: Brijendra Singh Ola (Congress) vs Shubhkaran Choudhary (BJP) In the same way, Bishnu Pada Ray (BJP) is running against incumbent Congressman Kuldeep Rai Sharma in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands seat.

The first phase of elections in Arunachal Pradesh’s two seats is scheduled for this Friday. In Arunachal Pradesh West, Kiren Rijiju (BJP) is up against Nabam Tuki (Congress).Bosiram Siram (Congress) is against Tapir Gao (BJP) in Arunachal Pradesh East.

Voting in the first round of Chhattisgarh’s eleven Lok Sabha seats will take place in the seat of Bastar, which is ravaged by the Naxal attacks. Kawasi Lakhma of the Congress will face Mahesh Kashyap (BJP).

In Manipur, there will be two elections in one seat. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in a news conference on March 16 that voters in Outer Manipur would cast their ballots over the course of two days due to the unique circumstances resulting from the ethnic violence experienced by the state.

Elections in the outer Manipur will be held on two dates: April 19 (phase 1) and April 26 (phase 2). The Inner Manipur constituency will vote on April 19 (phase 1).

The constituency of Tripura (West), which encompasses the state capital of Agartala, will hold elections today for one of the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura.Ashish Kumar Saha, the head of the state Congress, is facing up against Biplab Kumar Deb, a BJP candidate and former chief minister of Tripura.

In order to maintain “peace and purity” during the largest democratic celebration, the Election Commission has sufficiently stationed central personnel at polling places to safeguard the voting process.

An ECI announcement states that webcasting would be implemented in over 50% of voting places in addition to microobservers being placed in every polling place.According to the announcement, a total of 4627 flying squads, 5208 statistics surveillance teams, 2028 video surveillance teams, and 1255 video watching teams are on duty around-the-clock to rigorously and promptly handle any kind of voter incentivization.

It also said that 162 international border checkpoints and 1374 interstate border checkpoints are closely monitoring any unauthorized movement of gifts, currency, alcohol, or narcotics. Additionally, air and sea routes have been subject to stringent monitoring.Additionally, the ECI has cautioned voters to avoid being swayed by false narratives propagated on social media or prevented from voting in these elections by disinformation and fake news.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 42 seats, while the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 45 of the 102 seats that will be up for election on Friday in the first round.

The remaining stages are scheduled for May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with the second phase taking place on April 26.

Seven stages were also used for the most recent general elections in 2019.

The Indian Election Commission released the vote schedule on March 16. Along with the Lok Sabha and four state assembly polls, there will also be bye-elections to 26 assembly seats. When ANI is removed