Fifty-seven constituencies across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh are poised for elections in the seventh and concluding phase of the Lok Sabha polls this Saturday. This final phase includes Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third successive term.

The Election Commission has affirmed that polling teams, equipped with electronic voting machines and other necessary materials, have been dispatched to their designated stations. At the 109,000 polling venues, essential amenities such as sufficient shade, potable water, ramps, and restrooms are provided to ensure voters’ comfort and safety.

Additionally, the Election Commission has instructed Chief Electoral Officers and state authorities to implement measures to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme weather conditions, whether excessive heat or rain.

Polling is set to occur in all 13 constituencies of Punjab and four in Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, and three seats in Jharkhand, alongside Chandigarh. Concurrently, voting for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and by-elections for six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh will also take place.

Among the 904 candidates vying for seats, notable figures include Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti, and actor Kangana Ranaut.

Over 100.6 million citizens, including nearly 52.4 million men, 48.2 million women, and 3,574 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase.

Saturday’s voting will conclude the extensive polling process that commenced on April 19, having already covered 486 Lok Sabha seats across 28 states and Union territories. The assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim also occurred during this period. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4, with Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim’s assembly polls counted on June 2.

According to Election Commission guidelines, television channels and news outlets are permitted to broadcast exit poll data and results starting June 1 after 6:30 PM.

The commission has urged voters to participate in greater numbers, voting with responsibility and pride. The turnout percentages for the first six phases were 66.14%, 66.71%, 65.68%, 69.16%, 62.2%, and 63.36%, respectively.

The final phase’s campaign, ending Thursday evening, saw BJP leaders, led by Modi, accusing the Congress and the INDIA alliance of corruption, anti-Hindu sentiment, and engaging in looting, appeasement, and dynastic politics.

Opposition parties have countered by alleging the BJP is anti-farmer, anti-youth, and will alter and abolish the Constitution if victorious.

Modi traveled to Kanyakumari on Thursday evening, where he is meditating until June 1 at a site associated with Swami Vivekananda. Since the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha election schedule on March 16, Modi has participated in 206 public outreach programs, including rallies and roadshows.

In Uttar Pradesh, polling will occur in Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj (SC), spread across 11 districts.

Uttar Pradesh witnesses a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the coalition of INDIA bloc members, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress.

In Chandauli, Maharajganj, and Mirzapur, Union ministers Mahendra Nath Pandey, Pankaj Chaudhary, and Anupriya Patel are contesting, respectively. Afzal Ansari, brother of the late Mukhtar Ansari, contests from Ghazipur, while former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar contests from Ballia.

In Varanasi, Modi’s challengers include Ajay Rai (Congress), Ather Jamal Lari (BSP), Kolisetty Shiva Kumar (Yuga Thulasi Party), Gagan Prakash Yadav (Apna Dal, Kameravadi), and independents Dinesh Kumar Yadav and Sanjay Kumar Tiwari.

South Bengal’s polls, a traditional TMC stronghold, will test the party’s supremacy amid an ‘old versus new’ power struggle, with the national spotlight on Sandeshkhali in Basirhat due to allegations of atrocities on women and land grabs.

The seventh phase covers Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar, where the TMC triumphed in the 2019 elections.

TMC heavyweight Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s de facto number two, contests from Diamond Harbour. His performance in this seat, which the TMC touts as a ‘model constituency,’ will be closely observed as the opposition attempts to portray it as a ‘laboratory of violence.’ The two-time MP faces CPI(M)’s Pratikur Rahaman and BJP’s Abhijit Das in a three-way contest.

The minority-dominated Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, particularly the Sandeshkhali segment, epitomizes the broader electoral battle, having gained national attention for alleged atrocities on women and land grabs by local TMC leaders.

The BJP has leveraged these issues by fielding Rekha Patra, a prominent local protestor, against TMC veteran Haji Nurul Islam. The CPI(M) has nominated former MLA Nirapada Sardar, creating a three-cornered contest.

In Punjab, prominent candidates include four-time MP Preneet Kaur, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, three-time MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Ravneet Singh Bittu.

For the first time since 1996, the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal are contesting the polls independently, while the Congress and AAP, both members of the INDIA bloc, have fielded their own candidates.

In Himachal Pradesh, the stakes are high for Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, who seeks a fifth term from Hamirpur. The prestige of actor Kangana Ranaut and Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh, the heir of the erstwhile Rampur royal family and son of six-time former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is at stake in Mandi.

In Bihar, Union Minister RK Singh aims for a third consecutive term from Arrah, facing principal challenger Sudama Prasad, a CPI(ML) Liberation MLA.

In Patna Sahib, veteran BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad seeks a second consecutive term, with Congress spokesman Anshul Avijit, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and grandson of Jagjivan Ram, as his main rival.

In Pataliputra, Misa Bharti attempts her third election, with BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav aiming for a hat-trick. Karakat is witnessing a multi-cornered contest, notably featuring Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh, an Independent candidate. Singh’s entry follows his earlier refusal of a BJP ticket from Asansol in West Bengal, resulting in his expulsion from the party.

Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, leading the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, aims to reclaim the seat he won in 2014 but lost in 2019 after leaving the NDA. The CPI(ML) has fielded former MLA and farmer leader Raja Ram Kushwaha. The AIMIM further complicates the contest by fielding Priyanka Chaudhary, a Zila Parishad member.