Polling for third phase of the general election kicked off for 93 Lok Sabha seats spread across 12 states and union territories. Starting at 7:00 am, voters in 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) headed to the polling booths. Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the Surat seat uncontested.
An extensive roster of candidates, exceeding 1300 in number, including approximately 120 women, are contesting in this phase. A staggering 17.24 crore eligible voters have the opportunity to exercise their voting rights, facilitated by 1.85 lakh polling stations. Moreover, the electoral process will be observed by 75 delegates representing 23 countries, as announced by the electoral commission.
However, the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir won't witness voting on Tuesday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rescheduled polling for this seat to the sixth phase on May 25. Initially, voting for 94 Lok Sabha seats was slated for the third phase, but due to the unfortunate demise of the BSP candidate in the Betul Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh, elections were shifted from the second to the third phase. Consequently, with the Surat seat already clinched by the BJP uncontested and the revised schedule for Anantnag-Rajouri, the total number of seats up for polling now stands at 93.
Today's electoral battleground features several prominent leaders vying for victory, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, as well as Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav and NCP contenders.
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