Chandigarh : The campaigning for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Thursday, with leaders from major political parties ramping up their efforts with rallies until the last minute. On June 1, polling will take place in 57 parliamentary constituencies across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, determining the fates of 904 candidates.
In this final phase, 13 seats will go to the polls in both Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, followed by nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand, and the lone Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh. Additionally, elections for 42 Assembly seats in Odisha are set for the same day. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.
On the last day of campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted rallies across various locations in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to bolster support for BJP candidates. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rallied in Balasore, Odisha, and engaged with farmers at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab. Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra conducted a roadshow in Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
Leaders from both the BJP and the INDIA bloc have made extensive efforts to win over voters. The BJP-led NDA aims for a historic third consecutive term, while the Opposition INDIA bloc seeks to overturn its electoral setbacks of the past decade.
Notable BJP candidates in the final phase include Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib, Bihar, and Kangana Ranaut from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Representing the Congress are Manish Tewari from Chandigarh, Vikramaditya Singh from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, and Ajay Rai from Varanasi, among others. Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee is also contesting from Diamond Harbour.
Here is the full list of constituencies going to the polls in Phase 7:
Bihar: Nalanda, Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Sasaram, Karakat, and Jahanabad.
Himachal Pradesh: Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Shimla.
Uttar Pradesh: Varanasi, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Ghosi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Salempur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj.
Punjab: Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar (SC), Hoshiarpur (SC), Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib (SC), Faridkot (SC), Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala.
Odisha: Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur.
West Bengal: Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar.
Jharkhand: Godda, Dumka, and Rajmahal.
As the final phase of campaigning ends, all eyes are now on the June 1 voting, which will be pivotal in shaping the future political landscape of the country.
