New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah implored the electorate to exercise their voting rights during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. He urged them to choose a government proficient in “public welfare” and possessing a “blueprint” for an advanced India.
“In the third phase of the Lok Sabha Election, I entreat all voters casting their ballots today to perceive voting as a responsibility towards contributing to nation-building. Once again, opt for a system devoid of corruption, casteism, and dynastic politics. Elect a government seasoned in public welfare and equipped with a plan for the advancement of India,” Amit Shah conveyed on X.
“Your ballot will serve as the cornerstone of prosperity not only for yourselves but also for the entire nation in the decades ahead,” he remarked. Earlier today, the Union Home Minister engaged with residents at a residential enclave in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Amit Shah stands as the party’s nominee for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress has nominated its party secretary Sonal Patel from Gandhinagar.
Shah is vying for his second term from the Gandhinagar constituency, a bastion historically associated with the party and previously represented by stalwarts like LK Advani. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister cast his vote at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Voting commenced for 93 Lok Sabha seats across 12 states and union territories in the third phase of the general election today at 7:00 am. The states and union territories where the elections are being held in this phase include Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10), and West Bengal (4).
The BJP has secured the Surat seat uncontested. Over 1300 candidates, with approximately 120 women among them, are contesting in this phase. A total of 17.24 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase at 1.85 lakh polling stations. The poll panel announced that seventy-five delegates from 23 countries will observe the electoral process.
Voting is not taking place for Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat today as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has deferred the polling to the sixth phase scheduled for May 25. Initially, polling was slated for 94 Lok Sabha seats in the third phase.
However, elections were rescheduled from the second to the third phase in the Betul Lok Sabha constituency of Madhya Pradesh due to the demise of the BSP candidate. The BJP candidate in Surat has been declared victorious uncontested, and with the revised polling schedule for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, the total seats going to polls now amount to 93.
In the 2019 general election, the BJP clinched victory in 72 of the 93 seats up for grabs today. The Lok Sabha elections are progressing through seven phases, spanning from April 19 to June 1, with the counting slated for June 4.
