With India swiftly approaching the final leg of the Lok Sabha elections, the country is preparing for Phase five of its seven-part polls, which will take place on May 20. With 695 candidates contesting for 49 seats in six states and two Union Territories, voters are preparing to make their choices on Monday. This phase will have 695 candidates representing 8 states and union territories. In these territories, 1586 nominations were submitted for the 49 parliamentary constituencies. The fifth phase includes the following states: Bihar (5), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Jharkhand (3), Ladakh (1), Maharashtra (13), Odisha (5), Uttar Pradesh (14), and West Bengal (7).
List of States and Constituencies
Bihar includes Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, and Hajipur (SC). Jammu and Kashmir: Baramulla. Ladakh: Ladakh. Maharashtra includes Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, and Mumbai South. Odisha includes Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, and Aska. Uttar Pradesh includes Mohanlalganj (SC), Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Kaushambi (SC), Barabanki (SC), Faizabad, Kaiserganj, and Gonda. West Bengal includes Bangaon, Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Srerampur, Hooghly, and Arambagh. Jharkhand: Chatra, Kodarma, and Hazaribagh.
In the first phase, 66.14 percent of voters participated, a decrease from 69.89 percent in 2019. In the second phase, 66.71 percent of participants showed up, compared to 69.64 percent in the first. The third phase had a turnout of 65.68 percent, down from 67.3 percent in 2019. Turnout in Jammu and Kashmir increased significantly, from 14.39 percent in 2019 to 37.98 percent this year. Telangana and Odisha also saw minor gains. In Telangana, 64.74 percent voted, up from 62.69 percent in 2019, and Odisha saw 73.97 percent turnout, up from 73.95 percent the previous year. The Election Commission reported orderly voting, with several stations staying open past 6 p.m. to accommodate voters who were still waiting in line. This round had 17.7 crore eligible voters turn out at 1.92 lakh polling booths.
Following the end of voting in four of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13, the stage is now set for the fifth phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections on May 20. In this phase, polling will take place across 49 Lok Sabha constituencies that include six states and two union territories. Some key states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, will vote in Phase 5. The final two phases of this drawn-out election will take place on May 25 and June 1, and the fate of this country will be decided on June 4, when the ballots will be counted.
