1. Home
2. India

Get Set, Vote: India ready for first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019

Kashmir Times. Dated: 4/11/2019 4:10:17 PM

NEW DELHI, Apr 10 (Agencies): After months of hectic campaigning, of strategising, making promises and of ensuring no stone is left unturned to ensure a peaceful and orderly Lok Sabha 2019 election, India is all set to vote in the first phase which begins from Thursday.
The first phase may be only one of seven but it assumes vital significance considering how it could set the tempo for what is to come all the way till May 23 - the date for counting of votes and result declaration.
Voting would take place in 91 parliamentary constituencies across 20 states and union territories in the country. Battling it out for political power and glory are 1279 candidates - each one out there to woo voters. Of these, there are 89 women candidates or 7 per cent. The right to choose between them would be with over 14 crore people in a country with an electorate of 90 crore.
While there are many states which will vote in multiple phases, states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim will vote in just one phase, the first phase. Of these, Andhra, Arunachal and Sikkim will also vote in Assembly elections here, simultaneously. A part of Odisha too will vote in Lok Sabha election and Assembly election simultaneously.
Some of the key Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase are:
* Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh - BJP's General VK Singh is facing off against Congress' Dolly Sharma and SP's Suresh Bansal.
* Kairana in Uttar Pradesh - BJP has fielded Mriganka Singh - daughter of former MP Hukum Singh who passed away last year. She faces Congress' Harendra Malik and SP's Tabassum Hasan.
* Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh - Sanjeev Kumar Balyan is leading the BJP charge against RLD's Ajit Singh.
* Nagpur in Maharashtra - Union minister Nitin Gadkari takes on Congress' Nana Patole.
* Nizamabad in Telangana - There are 185 candidates here. Main among them is Kalvakuntla Kavitha - daughter of Telanagana CM KCR. She takes on Congress' Madhu Yashki Goud.
* Secundrabad in Telangana - AIMIM chied Asaduddin takes on BJP's Bhagvanth Rao.
* Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh - BJP's Daggubati Purandeswari - daughter of NT Rama Rao fights TDP's MV Sribharat and Congress'Pedada Ramani Kumari.
* Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh - TDP's Kesineni Srinivas is contesting against YSRCP candidate Potuluri Vara Prasad.
* Tezpur in Assam - Pallab Lochan Das of BJP is fighting against Congress' GVK Bhanu.
* Gaya in Bihar - Former state CM Jitan Ram Manjhi takes on JDU's Vijay Kumar Manjhi.
* Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir - BJP's Jugal Kishore battles against Congress' Raman Bhalla.
* Bastar in Chhattisgarh - Ballot is fighting against bullet in this Naxal-infested area. Drones and 80,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure polling is peaceful although Naxals have called for a boycott. Tuesday's attack on a BJP MLA's convoy in Dantewada would perhaps cast a shadow but EC has ensured that no untoward incident takes place. In terms of electoral battle, BJP's Bai Duram Kashyap fights Congress' Deepak Baij.
Security has been a key area of focus - especially in Naxal-affected areas and areas where crime rate is usually on the higher side.
State/UT Constituencies Total voters Male Voters Female Voters Voters of Third Gender Candidates Polling Booths
Andhra Pradesh 25 39345717 19462339 19879421 3957 319 45920
Arunachal Pradesh 2 798248 394456 403792 0 12 2202
Assam 5 7603458 3865334 3737970 154 41 9574
Bihar 4 7440324 3894024 3546001 299 44 7486
Chhattisgarh 1 1377946 662355 715550 41 07 1878
Jammu & Kashmir 2 3317882 1716933 1600897 52 33 4489
Maharashtra 7 13035501 6671196 6364124 181 116 14731
Manipur 1 1010618 495583 515022 13 08 1562
Meghalaya 2 1892716 936579 956137 0 9 3167
Mizoram 1 784405 381991 402408 6 06 1175
Nagaland 1 1206287 607859 598428 0 04 2227
Odisha 4 6003707 2972925 3030222 560 26 7233
Sikkim 1 423325 216222 207103 0 11 567
Telangana 17 29518964 14842619 14674977 1368 443 34603
Tripura 1 1347381 682044 665327 10 13 1679
Uttar Pradesh 8 15268056 8327469 6939761 826 96 16635
Uttarakhand 5 7854023 4053944 3711220 259 52 11235
West Bengal 2 3454276 1773196 1681051 29 18 3844
A & N Islands 1 317878 168701 149168 9 15 406
Lakshadweep 1 54266 27475 26791 00 06 51
Total 91 142054978 72153244 69805370 7764 1279 170664
No of States/UTs in Phase 1 20
Other steps by the Election Commission:
The Election Commission has once again said that it has left nothing to chance in ensuring that maximum voting takes place and that every Indian - irrespective of artificial, physical or geographical barriers - can cast his or her vote.
Some of the steps taken by the EC ensuring basic facilities like drinking water, toilet and a standard./