Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has begun on 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union Territories.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is seeking a third successive term under PM Modi, the Opposition is hoping for a change in fortune as they are contesting the polls forming an umbrella alliance, INDIA.
In the first phase, polling is being held on all seats in Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). Besides, there is voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.
the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, over 16.63 crore people are eligible to cast their vote. This includes 35.67 lakh first-time voters, 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20–29, and 11,371 from the third gender.
Of the 102 seats going to polls on Friday, the NDA had won 41 seats in the 2019 elections while the Congress-led UPA bloc emerged victorious in 45 constituencies. This time, however, six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.
