Indian begins voting in last phase of seven-phase mega general elections

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - India began voting Saturday in the last phase of a seven-phase mega general election which began last month.

Polling began at 57 parliamentary constituencies spread across eight states and union territories which include northern Punjab state.

Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies of the Odisha State Legislative Assembly is also taking place simultaneously on Saturday.

The last phase will mark a “grand finish to the world's largest polling marathon” that began April 19, the election commission said in a statement last Friday.

Voting started at 7 a.m. local time and closing may differ in parliamentary constituencies.

The first six phases were held April 19, 26; May 7, 13, 20 and 25, and the polling was held in 486 of the total 543 parliamentary seats in the country. The vote count will be held June 4.

For the last phase of voting, election authorities said 100.6 million electors are eligible to vote, adding that “in spite of hot weather conditions, voters have turned up in huge numbers at the polling stations in the past phases.”

The Indian Election Commission said phase one recorded a turnout of 66.14%, phase two saw 66.71%, third 65.68%, while the fourth and fifth phases witnessed 69.16% and 62.20%, respectively. The turnout in the penultimate phase was recorded as 63.37%.

Amid heat waves prevailing in several parts of the country, the previous phases of elections saw considerably less turnout compared to 2019.

In Saturday’s phase, the key candidates fighting for votes include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is contesting from the Varanasi constituency in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

The election is primarily a battle between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition alliance, INDIA, headed by the Indian National Congress.

Exit polls will be released after 6.30 p.m. local time Saturday.