The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections of 2024 began at 7am today. 8 states and union territories with 49 constituencies (General-39, ST-03, and SC-07) will go to vote where future of 695 candidates will be decided. In terms of total number of constituencies for which voting will be held, this is the smallest phase. On Monday, simultaneously voting for 35 constituencies in Odisha Legislative Assembly assembly will also take place.
The states and union territories entering the fifth phase of elections are: Maharashtra (13), West Bengal (7), Odisha (5), Uttar Pradesh (14), Bihar (5), Jharkhand (3), and Jammu and Kashmir (1). 428 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha will have been decided by polls when the 49 constituencies’ voting ends on Monday. The elections started on April 19.
In the fifth phase, a number of prominent contenders are vying for office: union minister Smriti Irani, who is considering a second term from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh; union ministers Rajnath Singh (Lucknow) and Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North); Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress (Rae Bareli); Chirag Paswan, the leader of the LJP (Ram Vilas) (Hajipur); Shrikant Shinde, the son of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde (Kalyan); National Conference leader Omar Abdullah (Baramulla); and Rohini Acharya, the daughter of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav (Saran).
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 5: Key Candidates
