Lok Sabha Elections 2024, phase 1 voting LIVE Updates | 16 crore voters on the rolls across 21 States

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With 39 seats from Tamil Nadu and one seat from Puducherry, the largest number of seats in the first phase is from southern India

April 19, 2024 12:31 am | Updated 12:33 am IST

Polling officials after collecting EVMs and other election material on the eve of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Sikkim on April 18, 2024 | Photo Credit: ANI

Voting for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will start on April 19 in 102 constituencies, across 21 States and Union Territories. Among the key faces in the fray are 8 Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Jitendra Singh and Bhupendra Yadav, besides Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, Kanimozhi of the DMK and K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu BJP chief.

With 39 seats from Tamil Nadu and one seat from Puducherry, the largest number of seats in the first phase is from southern India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the State multiple times during campaigning, as the BJP sought a foothold in the State. However, the leading contenders are still the Dravidian majors, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

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Voting is also held in 25 seats in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Assam, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 in Arunachal Pradesh, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.

Simultaneously, Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) are also being held.

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Uttar Pradesh will see a three-way contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the INDIA bloc, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In Jammu and Kashmir, the only Parliament seat going to the polls in the first phase is Udhampur-Doda. The BJP’s Jitendra Singh, a Union Minister considered close to the Prime Minister, is fielded against Congress’ Chaudhary Lal Singh and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party’s G.M. Saroori. The other crucial States for the saffron party is West Bengal and Maharashtra.

While the BJP-led NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a stronger majority, the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

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April 18, 2024 20:04
All Tamil Nadu seats in first phase
With 39 seats from Tamil Nadu and one seat from Puducherry going to the polls on April 19, the largest number of seats in the first phase is from southern India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu multiple times during election campaigns, as the BJP sought a foothold in the State. However, the leading contenders are still the Dravidian majors, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Tamil Nadu has emerged as a riveting battleground owing to the BJP’s high-octane push to open up its traditionally bipolar polity amid the main opposition AIADMK’s continued struggle since J Jayalalithaa’s death.
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April 18, 2024 20:01
Voting in 102 LS seats to start at 7 a.m.
The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations where over 16.63 crore voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase of 2024 general elections.
Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
Voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender. There are as many as 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
April 18, 2024 19:59
Stage set for first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 102 seats
The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will kick off on April 19 at 7 a.m. with polling for the first phase scheduled in 102 seats spread across 21 States and Union territories.
Among those in the fray are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbanada Sonowal and Bhupendra Yadav, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress, DMK’s Kanimozhi and K. Annamalai of BJP.