Elections 2019: PM Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi, among key seats that voted today
The seventh and last phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election today saw some key constituencies go to polls, one them being Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency - Varanasi. Some of the other important seats include Gorakhpur, formerly UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath's seat, Patna Sahib in Bihar, where Congress's Shatrughan Sinha is up against BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Diamond Harbour and Kolkata in West Bengal. Voting took place in 59 constituencies across seven states and one union territory in the last phase of elections today. The counting of votes will take place on Thursday, May 23.
Here are the highlights on voting day in PM Modi's constituency Varanasi, and other key seats:
Voting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s constituency Varanasi stood at 46.53 per cent till 5 pm
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Moon Moon Sen's Gaffe No. 2, Says Kolkata Clashes Tiny Bit Of ViolenceActor-turned-politician Moon Moon Sen, a Trinamool Congress candidate for the national election, was again accused of making a comment that undermined the violence in Bengal on the last day of voting for the national election on Sunday. "This is a tiny bit of violence," Moon Moon Sen said as she responded to a question on the vandalism of a statue of iconic 19th century reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during clashes in Kolkata at BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow last week.
Car of Nilanjan Roy, BJP candidate for Diamond Harbour seat, vandalised in Dongaria area of the constituency.
Nilanjan Roy is contesting against Trinamool Congress's Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Stones were thrown at BJP's Kolkata North candidate Rahul Sinha near a polling station at Park Circus area, reports news agency IANS. The leader escaped unharmed
Lokpal Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and his wife Debjani Ghose after voting at a polling station in Kolkata
Women voters at a polling station in Jayapur village, in Varanasi constituency from where PM Modi is seeking reelection
RJD leader Tej Pratap at a polling station after voting in Patna
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee votes in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modu and former Chief Ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rabri Devi voted in Patna.
Congress's candidate from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency, Shatrughan Sinha casts his vote at Kadam Kuan in Patna
Elections 2019 Phase 7: Nearly 11% Voter Turnout Till 9 am In PM Modi's Constituency
Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, recorded 10.87 per cent voting till 9 am - the first two hours of polling in the seventh and final phase of the 2019 general elections.
Varanasi will see 18.54 lakh registered votes cast their vote in 1,819 polling booths, of which 273 are categorised as ''critical''.
Local administration has set up 145 model booths and one pink booth which will be operated only by women.
Authorities have appealed to people to come out in large numbers to cast votes in Varanasi, which had reported 58.35 per cent polling in 2014.
There are five assembly segments in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. These are - Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantonment, and Sevapuri.
PM Modi's challengers are Congress's Ajay Rai and SP-BSP gathbandhan candidate Shalini Yadav.
In 2014, PM Modi had defeated Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal by a margin of 3.37 lakh.
Last time, PM Modi had got 56.37 per cent votes out of the total polled and there was a swing of 25.85 per cent votes in his favour from 2009, when compared Murli Manohar Joshi, who had got 30.5 per cent votes for the BJP.
In 2009, the Samajwadi Party and BSP contested separately, their combined vote share was 46.6 per cent which was more that of the BJP.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Facts and Stats
Here are some key facts from Phase 7 of the 2019 Lok Sabha Election:
Voting is taking place in 7 states and 1 union territory
59 constituencies went to polls today, more than 10 crore registered voters.
There are a total of 918 candidates contesting in the seventh-and final phase of polling today.
1,12,993 polling stations have been set up for the last phase of the 2019 general elections.
By this evening, except Vellore in Tamil Nadu, elections would be over in all constituencies across the country.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: PM Modi's Message To Citizens
Congress Candidate From Chandigarh, Pawan Kumar Bansal Casts His Vote
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Number Of Voters Today
Over 10.17 crore people across seven states and one union territory are eligible and registered to vote today - the last phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee's Nephew And TMC Leader, Abhishek Banerjee Casts His Vote
Elections 2019 Phase 7: Kolkata South BJP Candidate CK Bose Casts His Vote
Elections 2019 Phase 7: Kolkata North BJP Candidate Rahul Sinha Casts His Vote
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Buxar, Bihar - Ashwini Kumar Choubey (BJP) vs Jagadanand Singh (RJD)
In Bihar's Buxar, Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey is banking on the Narendra Modi factor to retain the seat for the second time. Facing him is Jagadanand Singh, a senior leader from Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Mr Singh has represented the Lok Sabha constituency in the past. Unlike Mr Choubey, who is from Bhagalpur, Mr Singh is seen as a local. Rajputs are a key factor in this Brahmin dominated seat.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Sasaram, Bihar - Meira Kumar (Congress) vs Chhedi Paswan (BJP)
Former Lok Sabha Speaker and Congress leader Meira Kumar is contesting from Bihar's Sasaram, which she had represented two times on the trot before losing to BJP's Chhedi Paswan in 2014.
Mr Paswan was a lawmaker from the seat in 1989 and 1991 on a Janata Dal ticket. Meira Kumar's father, former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram, had represented the reserved seat several times, mostly on a Congress ticket and twice as the Janata Party's candidate.
Though Sasaram is a reserved (Scheduled Caste) seat, the fight is tough for both Chhedi Paswan and Meira Kumar. If Ms Kumar is playing her father's legacy card, Mr Paswan is banking on PM Narendra Modi's influence and popularity.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Pataliputra, Bihar - Misa Bharti (RJD) vs Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP)
Pataliputra, named after the ancient city that was capital of the Magadh kingdom, sees a straight flight between jailed Bihar politician Lalu Prasad Yadav's eldest daughter Misa Bharti and former loyalist of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief. Misa Bharti who had lost to the former five years ago, entered the electoral battle again apparently to avenge the defeat despite being a member of the Rajya Sabha. Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav is the sitting lawmaker and the BJP candidate in Pataliputra.
Ms Bharti hopes to gain sympathy with her campaign almost entirely focused on her ailing father who is serving prison sentences in multiple fodder scam cases and has not been able to secure bail.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Jadavpur, West Bengal - Mimi Chakraborty (Trinamool Congress) vs Anupam Hazra (BJP) vs Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (CPI-M)
In West Bengal's high-profile Jadavpur seat, the Trinamool Congress is banking on the celebrity status of Bengali actor Mimi Chakraborty for a third consecutive win. Ms Chakraborty faces a stiff challenge from the CPI(M)'s Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who was the mayor of Kolkata. The BJP, in a bid to win the seat riding on its growing popularity, has fielded Anupam Hazra, a TMC parliamentarian in the outgoing Lok Sabha who switched sides before the election. It was in Jadavpur where Mamata Banerjee had defeated Left veteran Somnath Chatterjee in 1984 when she was with the Congress. In Jadavpur, no party has won a third consecutive term so far.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Diamond Harbour, West Bengal - Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) vs Nilanjan Roy (BJP) vs Soumya Aich Roy (Congress)
Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee is seeking re-election from the Diamond Harbour seat in West Bengal on a Trinamool Congress ticket. He is contesting against BJP's Nilanjan Roy. The CPI(M) has nominated Fuad Halim and the Congress, Soumya Aich Roy for the seat. The campaign in Bengal was marred by political violence and destruction of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue, forcing the Election Commission to order campaigning to end on Thursday night instead of Friday evening. It was the first such action in India's electoral history.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Chandigarh - Kirron Kher (BJP) vs Pawan Bansal (Congress) vs Harmohan Dhawan (AAP)
Chandigarh is seeing a triangular contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has fielded its sitting lawmaker, actor Kirron Kher, who is banking on PM Narendra Modi's popularity and development agenda. She is contesting against former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress and Harmohan Dhawan of the Aam Aadmi Party. Mr Dhawan is a former union minister and rebel BJP lawmaker who had supported Kirron Kher in the previous Lok Sabha election. Chandigarh has over 6.2 lakh registered voters.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Gurdaspur, Punjab - Sunny Deol (BJP) vs Sunil Jakhar (Congress)
Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is BJP's candidate from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently being represented by the Congress. Sunny Deol is the third person from his family to join politics - and the BJP - after his father Dharmendra and stepmother Hema Malini. Sunny Deol's campaign in Punjab witnessed many colourful moments with him holding up a hand pump, recreating a scene from his hit film "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha", and at other times getting big cheers for repeating popular dialogues from his movies.
Sunny Deol is contesting against state Congress chief and sitting lawmaker Sunil Jakhar. Mr Jakhar, the son of former Congress leader Balram Jakhar, is banking on projects taken up by him as lawmaker from the seat. Gurdaspur has traditionally been a BJP stronghold. It was represented four times by veteran actor Vinod Khanna, who died in April 2017.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh - Ravi Kishan (BJP) vs Rambhual Nishad (Samajwadi Party) vs Madhusudan Tripathi (Congress)
Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan BJP's candidate in the crucial Gorakhpur constituency, the stronghold of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The BJP, which lost Gorakhpur to the alliance of Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in the by-election last year is hoping to get it back. He is pitted against the Congress's Madhusudan Tripathi and Rambhual Nishad of the Samajwadi Party. Gorakhpur lawmaker Pravin Nishad, who had won the seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket last year, has joined the BJP. Gorakhpur was represented many times by Yogi Adityanath in the Lok Sabha from 1998 to 2017, before he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Patna Sahib, Bihar - Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) vs Shatrughan Sinha (Congress)
Firebrand actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who recently switched from the BJP to the Congress, takes on Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Bihar's Patna Sahib. Mr Sinha, who has represented the seat for a decade, was upset when he was snubbed by the BJP, which named Ravi Shankar Prasad as its candidate from the constituency. Soon after joining the Congress, Shatrughan Sinha ruffled many feathers within the party after his controversial comments on Mohammed Ali Jinnah and when he campaigned for his wife Poonam Sinha who contested from Lucknow on a Samajwadi Party ticket, though the Congress has also fielded its candidate from there.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, one of the most prominent ministers in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet, is banking on his long connection with Patna and the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
The Kayastha community, which has a sizeable population, will also play a key role in Patna Sahib.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7: Key Constituencies Voting Today
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - Narendra Modi (BJP) vs Ajay Rai (Congress) vs and Shalini Yadav (Samajwadi Party)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term as the member of parliament from Varanasi, from where he won the 2014 general election by a massive margin. PM Modi is banking on his development agenda, not only in Varanasi but across the country, as well as on his image as a strong leader.
The Congress has again fielded Ajay Rai, who finished third in 2014 with only 75,000 votes. The Congress hopes Mr Rai, a Bhumihar, can at least make a dent in PM Modi's votes. The Bhumihar caste enjoys significant influence in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The opposition gathbandhan (alliance) of Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP also has its own candidate. The Samajwadi Party is fielding Shalini Yadav, the daughter-in-law of a former Congress lawmaker as the opposition candidate from Varanasi.
Voting began this morning at 7 a.m. across all 59 constituencies in the final phase of polling today.
Voting is taking place in 59 constituencies across seven states and one union territory in the last phase of elections today. The counting of votes will happen on Thursday, May 23, and the results will be declared the same day.
Some of the other significant seats include Gorakhpur, which was formerly UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath's seat, Patna Sahib in Bihar, where Congress's Shatrughan Sinha is up against BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Diamond Harbour and Kolkata in West Bengal.
The seventh and last phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election today sees some key constituencies go to polls, the most important of which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency - Varanasi.