The third phase of voting for 2024 Lok Sabha elections began on Tuesday morning in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union Territories.
Fate of at least 1,352 candidates is being tested in this third phase. Polling is underway in 25 seats in Gujarat, 14 in Karnataka, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Chhattisgarh, five in Bihar, four each in Assam and West Bengal and two each in Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
The prominent candidates contesting in the third phase include Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Madhya Prades State Chief Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) politician and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, Congress politicians Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Digvijaya Singh.
PM Modi Cast Vote in Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning reached Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad.
He reached the polling station at around 7:30 a.m. (IST) where Federal Minister Amit Shah welcomed him and accompanied him to the booth.
Prime Minister received a warm welcome by the crowd present at the booth. Apart from the voters, huge crowd was present at the booth to catch a glimpse of Modi and they even raised slogans for him.
While on his way to the polling booth, Modi also gave an autograph to a child who had drawn his sketch.
While talking to the reporters after casting his vote, Modi said that “matdaan is mahadaan (voting is a gift) and also made an appeal to the people to vote in large numbers.
He even congratulated Election Commission of India (ECI) for conducting the two phases of elections with hardly any violence.
The Prime Minister even said that the way polls are being conducted in the country could be a learning process for other democracies and it has been a subject of case study for many universities.
Prior to the commencement of polling, Modi in a tweet urged voters of the third phase to turn out in record number.
“I urge all the voters of the third phase to vote in maximum numbers and create a new record of voting. Your active participation will add to the festivities of this festival of democracy,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi.
Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Others Urge People to Vote in Huge Numbers
Apart from Modi, candidate from Gandhinagar and Federal Home Minister Amit Shah also urged voters to turn out in large numbers and exercise their franchise.
Shah along with his family also cast their votes at a polling booth in Ahmedabad. While talking to the media after casting his vote, Shah made an appeal to the voters across the country to come forward and participate in this festival of democracy and elect a stable government that provides a safe, prosperous country.
“Elect a government which is against corruption, wants to eradicate poverty, wants to make a self-reliant India, wants to make a developed India and wants to take India number one in every field in the whole world,” the Federal Home Minister said.
Congress parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi also requested voters of the country to exercise their franchise.
“Today is the third phase of voting! I request all of you to come out in large numbers and vote to protect your rights. Remember, this is not an ordinary election, it is an election to protect the democracy and constitution of the country,” he said in a post on X in Hindi.
Gandhi’s sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also requested voters to vote in large numbers so as “to save the country’s democracy and constitution”.
Sluggish Voting in Third Phase
The polling which began at 7 a.m. (IST) remained sluggish as only 39.92 per cent voting was recorded till 1 p.m.
West Bengal recorded the maximum voting with 49.27 per cent followed by Goa (49.04 per cent), Chhattisgarh (46.14 per cent), Assam (45.88 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (44.67 per cent), Karnataka (41.59 per cent), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (39.94 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (38.12 per cent), Gujarat (37.83 per cent), Bihar (36.69 per cent), while Maharashtra recorded least voting per cent with 31.55 per cent.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.