Lok Sabha elections 2024 first phase: With India embarking on the world's largest democratic process, voters are set to commence casting their votes on Friday to select 543 Members of Parliament in a seven-phase election unparalleled in scale and logistical complexity. Voting will take place on 102 constituencies across 21 states and union territories in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Voting will begin at 7 and will end at 6 pm.
Uttar Pradesh will also go for voting in the first phase as eight out of 80 parliamentary seats are scheduled for polling on April 19. Several leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress will try their luck on Friday.
Key candidates and constituencies in Phase 1:
- Muzaffarnagar: Sanjeev Balyan (BJP) Vs Harindra Malik (SP) Vs Dara Singh Prajapati (BSP)
- Kairana: Pradeep Kumar (BJP) Vs Sripal Singh (BSP) Vs Iqra Hasan (SP)
- Moradabad: Sarvesh Singh (BJP) Vs Mohd Irfan Saifi (BSP)
- Saharanpur: Raghav Lakhanpal (BJP) Vs Majid Ali (BSP) Vs Imran Masood (Congress)
- Bijnor: Chandan Chauhan (RLD) Vs Vijendra Singh (BSP) Vs Yashvir Singh (SP)
- Pilibhit: Jitin Prasada (BJP) Vs Bhagwant Saran Gangwar (SP) Vs Anis Ahmed Khan (BSP)
- Rampur: Ghanshyam Lodhi (BJP) Vs Zeeshan Khan (BSP)
- Nagina: Om Kumar (BJP) Vs Surendra Pal Singh (BSP) Vs Manoj Kumar (SP) Vs Chandra Shekhar Azad (Azad Samaj Party)
80 candidates in fray in 1st phase
A total of 80 candidates, 73 men and seven women, are in the fray from different parties in this phase of the polling. Twelve candidates are in the fray from Moradabad, 14 from Kairana, 11 each from Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor, 10 each from Saharanpur and Pilibhit, and six candidates each from Nagina and Rampur. According to the Election Commission, a total of 1.43 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase. Of them, 76.23 lakh are male, 67.14 lakh female, and 824 are transgender persons.
Lok Sabha elections 2019 results
The BJP has joined hands with the RLD and the SP has allied with the Congress for the Parliamentary election. Meanwhile, the BSP has decided to go solo. Of the eight seats in the 2019 elections, BJP had bagged Muzaffarnagar, Kairana and Pilibhit, the SP Moradabad and Rampur, and the BSP Saharanpur, Nagina, and Bijnor. Later, in a by-election, the BJP wrested back Rampur. In 2019, the Samajwadi Party contested the election in alliance with the BSP.