Guwahati: The biggest electoral show on Earth began in India, as polling started on 7 am (April 19, 2024), where 969 million eligible voters will exercise their franchise through the electronic voting machine (EVM)s to elect 543 members to the 18th Lok Sabha for the next five years. Thousands of nominees from various national and regional political parties (along with some independent candidates) are contesting in the seven-phase polling, conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), where the counting of votes will take place on 4 June next (results are expected the same day).
India, with a population of 1.4 billion (the (highest on Earth), has a 545-member lower house of Parliament, where two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community. The upper house of Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha) has 250 members, of whom 238 are elected by the legislatures from the States and union territories. A maximum of 12 members are nominated by the President for their contributions to art, literature, science, social services, etc. Vice-President usually presides over the Rajya Sabha sessions, whereas the Speaker runs the show in Lok Sabha.
The first phase of general elections covers 102 Parliamentary constituencies in 12 States and union territories, where around 1,625 candidates will seek the mandate of over 166 million voters (including 82 million female, 11,371 third genders, and 18 million first-time electorates). Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in northeast India will simultaneously witness voting for constituting their legislative assemblies too. Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar assures the voters of free, fair & peaceful elections, and he urges the voters to participate in the biggest festival of democracy. The seven-phase voting exercise (last one on June 1) will cost around Rs 1,200 billion
Five out of 14 Parliamentary seats in Assam went to polls with key contestants like central minister Sarbananda Sonowal, sitting MP Gaurav Gogoi, Tapan Gogoi, Pradan Barua, etc. The largest State in the far eastern region will witness two more phases of polling on April 16 and May 7. Poll procedures are going on in Inner Manipur and Tripura West seats are also going on (Outer Manipur and Tripura East will go to polls on April 26). Similarly, polling begins in Arunachal Pradesh for both seats, with key candidates Kiren Rijiju, Nabam Tuki, and Tapir Gao, lone seat in Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
Voting is also under progress in Tamil Nadu for its all 39 Parliamentary seats, where all five seats in Uttarakhand have gone to polls. Similarly, eight out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 12 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan, three constituencies in West Bengal, six in Maharashtra, four in Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, one each in Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir also go to the polls. In the Arunachal Pradesh assembly polls, 10 candidates, including chief minister Pema Khandu and his deputy Chowna Mein (both Bharatiya Janata Party nominees), out of 60 contestants have already been declared unopposed winners.
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