As the polling for Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 kicked off, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 19 called on voters to exercise their franchise in record numbers.
In a post shared on social media platform X, PM Modi urged the young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers.
He said, "The 2024 Lok Sabha elections commence today! As 102 seats across 21 states and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers."
"I particularly call upon the young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts, and every voice matters," PM Modi added.
Lok Sabha Election 2024 (Phase 1): Voting begins
The people of 102 Lok Sabha constituencies across 21 states and union territories (UTs) are currently polling in the first phase of voting on Friday (April 19) to elect their representatives to the Lower House.
In the first phase, Tamil Nadu will see polling for all 39 seats, followed by 12 in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, and 5 each in Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Assam. Meanwhile, Bihar will see polling in four key constituencies. West Bengal, too, will witness a poll on three seats. While Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Manipur will see voting in two constituencies each, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Jammu and Kashmir will see voting in one constituency each. Results for all seats will be declared on June 4.
Meanwhile, several key candidates are fighting the poll battle in the first phase. Amongst the prominent leaders trying their electoral luck in phase one are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh (West), Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Sarbanada Sonowal from Dibrugarh in Assam, Sanjeev Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar in western UP, Jitendra Singh from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bhupendra Yadav from Alwar in Rajasthan.
Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry to return to active politics, is contesting from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. Nakul Nath, son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking reelection from Chhindwara.
Of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Tripura, the seat of West Tripura that votes in the first phase will see a high-voltage clash between former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha.
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