Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Kick-Off: 102 Seats Across 21 States, UTs Begin Voting

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Kick-Off: The general elections have commenced today, marking the beginning of the first phase of voting with 102 seats up for grabs across 21 states and Union Territories.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Kick-Off: Phase 1 Voting Begins Across 21 States On 102 Seats

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Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Kick-Off: The Lok Sabha elections 2024 have commenced today, marking the beginning of the first phase of voting with 102 seats up for grabs across 21 states and Union Territories. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is eyeing a strengthened mandate for a third consecutive term in the Centre. Meanwhile, the opposition bloc, under the banner of I.N.D.I.A, is striving to reclaim lost ground after setbacks in the 2014 and 2019 elections. 

In this initial phase, voting is scheduled for all Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1), and Lakshadweep (1). Additionally, polling booths will be open for 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.

Of particular significance among the states voting is Tamil Nadu, where established parties and Congress are facing a formidable challenge from a resurgent BJP, led by state chief K Annamalai. 

The electoral battlefield in this phase features prominent figures such as union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, and Sarbanand Sonowal, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, DMKS’s Kanimozhi, and BJP’s K Annamalai. Seven Union Minister including Bhupendra Yadav, Kiren Rijuju, Sanjeev Baliyan, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, L Murugan, and Nisith Pramanik, are also among the contenders in this phase. 

Notable contestants include former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura) and Nabam Tuki (Arunachal Pradesh), as well as Tamilisai Soundararajan, who stepped down as Telangana’s governor to re-enter active politics and is contesting from Chennai South on a BJP ticket. 

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has stressed the importance of each vote, urging citizens to exercise their franchise. 

#WATCH | The first phase of #LokSabhaElections2024 begins today.

CEC Rajiv Kumar says, "Everything is in place. The preparations started actually two years back and a wide range of preparations. So, it's from preparing the voter list, to preparing polling stations, finding their… pic.twitter.com/1ETuFbJrxV

— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2024

A total of 16.63 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in this phase, including 35.67 lakh first-time voters and 3.51 crore young voters aged between 20 to 29 years, Polling will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM, with electorate comprising 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women, and 11,371 persons identifying as the third gender. Click Here For All Live Updates.