New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged voters in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections to exercise their franchise. He urged the youth to cast their votes in “record numbers”
“Yet another phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is here! Urging all those whose constituencies are polling in today’s sixth phase to go out and vote. I hope youngsters are voting in record numbers. After all, their participation makes the polls even more special,” PM Modi tweeted.
Polling for 59 Lok Sabha seats in the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls is being held today. Union ministers Radha Mohan Singh, Harsh Vardhan and Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia among several prominent faces are in the fray.
Elections are being held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand.
Over 10.17 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 979 candidates. The Election Commission has set up over 1.13 lakh polling stations for smooth conduct of the polls.
The elections in this phase are seen as a big test for the BJP which had won 45 of these seats in 2014, with the Trinamool Congress bagging 8, the Congress two and the Samajwadi Party and the LJP one seat each among others.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases, starting from April till May 19. The counting of votes will be held on May 23.
While the Narendra Modi government is seeking a second term in office, the Congress -- revived by the recent victories in Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh -- is hoping to turn the tide.
