2024 India Lok Sabha Elections: Phase 1 Sees 60% Voter Turnout, Modi’s NDA Eyeing Third Term

2024 India Elections: Lok Sabha elections kicked off today, April 19, with the first phase covering 21 states and 102 constituencies across India. This marks the beginning of a seven-phase electoral process, concluding on June 1. Vote counting and result declaration are scheduled for June 4.

In phase one, states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal witnessed voting. Union Territories like Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry also participated.

By 7 pm, an average voter turnout of 60.03% was recorded, with the possibility of an increase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s NDA alliance is vying for a third consecutive term, campaigning with the slogan ‘abki baar 400 paar,’ while the opposition INDIA bloc is focusing on promises such as MSP for farmers and cash handouts to women.

Massive Turnout Expected as Over 16.63 Crore Voters Head to Polls for Phase 1 of 2024 India Lok Sabha Elections

Over 166.3 million voters, comprising more than 80 million men and women each, are expected to vote across nearly 200,000 polling stations.

Notable figures such as Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Bhupendra Yadav, Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Sarbananda Sonowal are contesting in the first phase. Additionally, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s Kanimozhi, and BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai are also part of today’s electoral lineup.

While the BJP-led NDA aims for a strengthened mandate, the opposition INDIA bloc is looking for a resurgence. In the previous elections in 2019, the UPA secured 45 of the 102 seats contested on Friday, while the NDA won 41. Six seats have been redrawn due to delimitation.

The general elections to fill 543 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha will unfold in seven phases from April 19 to June 1.

The electoral schedule for the remaining phases is as follows:

• Phase 2: April 26
• Phase 3: May 7
• Phase 4: May 13
• Phase 5: May 20
• Phase 6: May 25
• Phase 7: June 1