Our Correspondents / agencies
Elaborate arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow, April 29.
71 Parliamentary constituencies spread over nine states, and Kulgam district of Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in this phase.
Voting will be held for 17 Parliamentary seats in Maharashtra; 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh; eight in West Bengal; six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha; five in Bihar; and three in Jharkhand in this phase.
The prominent candidates in the fray include Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, S.S. Ahluwalia, Babul Supriyo, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, P.P Chaudhary, Dr. Subhash Bhamre and Sudershan Bhagat, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav, film actor Urmila Matondkar, BJP Bihar unit chief Nityanand Roy, RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha and former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
Polling will also be held for the remaining 42 assembly seats in Odisha tomorrow, besides, by-election to Chhindwara assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, Nighasan in Uttar Pradesh, and Krishnaganj in West Bengal.
In Maharashtra, the 17 constituencies going to polls are all the six seats from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Nashik, Palghar, Maval, Shirdi, Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg, Shirur, Dindori and Nandurbar.
In Bihar, polling will take place in Darbhanga, Ujjiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger. Our correspondent reports that 66 candidates, including three women, are in the fray. Twenty-one Independent candidates are also contesting.
In Jammu and Kashmir, over 3.45 lakh voters are going to exercise their franchise in Kulgam district. The district is spread over four assembly segments comprising Noorabad, Kulgam, Hom Shali Bugh and Devsar.
Voting will start at 7 am and end at 4 pm. Prominent candidates include PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, State Congress President G A Mir and Hasnain Masoodi of National Conference.