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India all set for first phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday: report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, April 15, IRNA -- India, the world's largest democracy, is all set for the first phase of the five phases of Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) polls on Thursday, April 16 in which 124 constituencies in 15 states and two Union Territories will go for polls.

The states where elections are being held in this phase are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

The two union territories Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep will also go for polls on Thursday.

While all 20 seats in Kerala, 11 in Chhattisgarh and two in Meghalaya would go to polls in a single phase tomorrow, polling would be held in 13 out of 40 seats in Bihar, 16 out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra 13 (48), Andhra Pradesh 22 (42), Jharkhand 6 (14), Orissa 10 (21), Assam 3 (14), Arunachal Pradesh 2 (2), Manipur 1 (2) and Jammu and Kashmir 1 (6).

The lone seats in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Mizoram and Nagaland would also be covered in the first phase.

The campaigning, for this phase of polls that ended on Tuesday evening, was mostly peaceful but verbally violent with politicians making personal attacks.

The highlight remains Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's retort to the repeated attacks by his BJP rival L K Advani, who had called him the 'weakest', and Varun Gandhi's alleged hate-speech in the Lok Sabha constituency of Pilibhit.

Altogether 1, 715 candidates in which 122 women candidates are in the fray for the first phase of the polls.

Prominent names like Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Prarty (BJP)'s Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress' Renuka Chowdhury, are seeking election to the lower house of Parliament in the first phase.

143.1 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 185,552 polling booths through 300, 166 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The franchise of the first phase will have to wait for more than a month for the results as counting will be taken up only on May 16.

Meanwhile, Election Commission (EC) banned dissemination of results of opinion and exit polls by the media, the ban came into effect from 15:00 hours IST (Indian Standard Time) on Tuesday and would remain in force till the conclusion of poll in the last phase of elections.

The last phase of polling is on May 13 and the counting of votes is on May 16.

Elaborate security arrangements, especially in 23,000 vulnerable villages and hamlets for the smooth conduct of the first phase of polls, have been made in view of the reports that terrorists from across the border may attempt to disrupt the poll process.

The term of the 14th Lok Sabha will expire in the normal course on June 1, 2009. In terms of the constitutional provisions, a new Lok Sabha is required to be constituted before the June 2, 2009.