GUWAHATI: Voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 has started today, covering 96 Parliamentary Constituencies spread across nine states and one Union Territory.
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Simultaneously, all 175 seats of the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly and 28 seats of the Odisha legislative assembly are up for grabs. Polling operations began at 7 AM and will continue until 6 PM across all Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies.
This phase encompasses polling in 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, eight in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, four in Odisha, eight in West Bengal, and one in Jammu and Kashmir.
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The campaign trail for this phase has been marked by discussions on various issues such as reservations, appeasement politics, corruption, and employment.
A total of 1,717 candidates hailing from 10 states and one union territory are contending in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, as stated by the Election Commission of India.
The commission received 4,264 nominations for the 96 Parliamentary constituencies. Notably, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh saw the highest number of nominations, with 1,488 and 1,103 nominations respectively.
To boost voter turnout, the polling duration in specific assembly segments of 17 Parliamentary constituencies in Telangana was extended from 7 AM to 6 PM. This phase also marks a significant election in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The BJP-led NDA holds MPs from more than 40 of the 96 seats undergoing polls in this phase. Key contests include former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in Kannauj, and Union ministers Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, and Raosaheb Danve in Bihar and Maharashtra constituencies. Other notable candidates include Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, and BJP's Pankaja Munde.
High-profile battles also feature AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh Congress president YS Sharmila in Kadapa. Moreover, TMC's Mahua Moitra seeks reelection from Krishnanagar in West Bengal, while Shatrughan Sinha faces off against BJP's SS Ahluwalia in Asansol.
The India Meteorological Department forecasts normal to below-normal temperatures for the constituencies undergoing polling, with no heat wave-like conditions anticipated. Previous phases witnessed voter turnouts of 66.14%, 66.71%, and 65.68%, respectively.
