Voting for the fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has commenced today across 96 Parliamentary Constituencies spanning nine states and one union territory. Simultaneously, all 175 seats of the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly and 28 seats of the Odisha legislative assembly are up for grabs.In this phase, a total of 1,717 candidates from 10 states/UT are contesting the elections, with 4,264 nominations filed for the 96 Parliamentary constituencies. Telangana saw the highest number of nomination forms submitted (1,488), followed by Andhra Pradesh with 1,103 nominations from 25 constituencies.
Issues such as reservations, appeasement politics, corruption, and employment have dominated the narrative in this phase. The Election Commission of India extended polling time in certain assembly segments of 17 Parliamentary constituencies in Telangana from 7 am to 6 pm to boost voter participation.
This phase marks the first major election in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The India Meteorological Department forecasts normal to below-normal temperatures in the parliamentary constituencies participating in the fourth phase, eliminating any concerns about heatwave-like conditions.
The voter turnout in the preceding three phases of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was 66.14%, 66.71%, and 65.68%, respectively. As citizens exercise their democratic right, all eyes are on the outcome of this crucial phase in shaping the country's political landscape.
