7th Phase Voting: Bihar's CM Nitish Kumar Arrives At The Polling Booth To Cast His Vote | ABP News

7th phase of polling of LS Elections includes Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting for a third consecutive term. Polling will be conducted in all 13 seats of Punjab, four seats in Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, and three seats in Jharkhand, alongside Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and by-elections for six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh will also take place simultaneously. Among the total 904 contestants, other prominent candidates include Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, and actor Kangana Ranaut. Over 10.06 crore citizens, comprising nearly 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women, and 3,574 third gender electors, are eligible to cast their votes in this final phase. Saturday's voting will culminate the extensive polling process that commenced on April 19, covering 486 Lok Sabha seats across 28 states and Union territories, including the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. Vote counting will commence on June 4. Following Election Commission guidelines, television channels and news outlets will be permitted to broadcast exit poll data and results on June 1 after 6:30 pm. Polling parties have been dispatched to their respective stations, equipped with necessary machinery and materials. At the 1.09 lakh polling stations, facilities like shade, drinking water, ramps, and toilets have been arranged to ensure a comfortable and secure voting environment. The ECI has instructed CEOs and state machineries to prepare for adverse weather conditions, such as hot weather or rainfall.