Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi (File photo)
The whole of Gujarat and Punjab is voting today in the seventh phase of Lok Sabha election along with some seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that will decide the fate of top guns including
Narendra Modi,
Sonia Gandhi,
L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
(
Narendra Modi, other BJP big guns in top 10 contests today)Telangana, the new state-to-be, is also voting will also elect its first assembly along with representatives to Parliament IN elections for 119 Assembly constituencies and 17 Lok Sabha seats in that part of Andhra Pradesh.
(Telangana also votes to elect its first state government)
A total of 13.83 crore voters have the right to vote in the polls in seven states and two union territories that will in all elect 89 MPs. Elections are already over in 349 constituencies in the first six phases. (
Elections: Full coverage)
Yet again, the Congress and the BJP have big stakes in this phase with 35 and 23 seats in their bag respectively. (
Elections Candidates |
Schedule)
Stakes are also high for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab which has four seats and is locked in a bitter contest with the Congress.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which spearheaded the campaign for Telangana state, and the Congress, whose government at the Centre cleared the new state proposal, are said to be involved in a hard-fought contest over credit for the new state.
The TRS has two Lok Sabha seats while TDP has two from the region.
The Janata Dal (United) and Trinamool Congress have five seats each in the constituencies going to polls in the seventh phase, while CPI(M) has four.