New Delhi: The sixth phase of voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha election has begun in 58 seats across seven states and one Union Territory (UT). Delhi and Haryana are voting in a single phase. Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.
Till 1 pm, 39.1% voter turnout was recorded. The highest voter turnout in Phase 6 was recorded in West Bengal over 52% and the lowest turnout was reported from Delhi at 34.4%.
By the end of today, elections will be completed in 486 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. Polling will also be completed in Haryana, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. The Election Commission has asked poll officers and authorities to take adequate measure to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh due to a heatwave across north India.
Voters in the following seven states and one union territory will cast their ballots: Eight seats each in Bihar and Bengal, seven in Delhi, 10 in Haryana, four in Jharkhand, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and the final seat in Jammu & Kashmir — Anantnag-Rajouri, where poling was moved from the third to the sixth phase.
Some of the key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi and Chandni Chowk in the national capital and Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri, West Bengal’s Tamluk, Medinipur, Haryana’s Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur are some of the other key seats.
The prominent candidates in the fray are Kanhaiya Kumar, a former student leader and fierce Modi critic, while Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan is seeking to enter the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, from Sambalpur in the eastern state of Odisha.
Former India skipper MS Dhoni cast his vote during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha Election in Ranchi.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari cast his vote for the Lok Sabha elections at a polling station in West Bengal’s Nandigram.
“Those who are voting in the sixth phase are all equal according to the Indian Constitution. Everyone has to queue up before the polling booth and cast his vote. I have cast my vote today for Narendra Modi, for Viksit Bharat, for a strong India,” Adhikari said speaking to reporters after casting his vote.
Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini said, “Today I paid obeisance at the historic Gurudwara Manji Sahib in Karnal… Today, Haryana votes for the sixth phase of the elections…I also offered prayers at the Mahadev temple…I appeal to the public of Haryana to come out in large numbers and participate in this festival of democracy…Under the leadership of PM Modi in the past 10 years, a new India has been formed…India has touched new heights of development in the past 10 years.”
After voting in Bihar’s Motihari, BJP candidate from East Champaran Radha Mohan Singh said, “I am pleased to see people participating in this festival of democracy despite enduring severe heat…Undoubtedly, we will surpass 400 seats.”
Sweta Hooda, spouse of Congress candidate Deepender Singh Hooda for the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, remarks, “Haryana shares common concerns with the nation at large. However, certain local issues hold particular significance, such as those concerning farmers and the military, which are likely to influence the outcome here.”