High-octane campaigning for sixth phase wraps up ahead of polling on May 25
New Delhi, May 24: The high-pitched campaigning for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled on May 25 came to an end on Thursday, marked by fervent efforts by prominent figures across political parties to engage with the voters in 58 Parliamentary constituencies spanning eight states and Union Territories.
On the final day of campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Bhiwani, Haryana, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a gathering in Dwarka, Delhi. Additionally, Union Minister Piyush Goyal conducted a roadshow in the Najafgarh area of the national capital in support of BJP candidates.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a rally in support of the party candidate for the North East Delhi Parliamentary seat and later held a ‘Mahila Vichar Vimarsh’ in Mangolpuri. Meanwhile, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra conducted a roadshow in Sirsa, Haryana. The leaders of both the BJP and the opposition-backed INDIA bloc spared no effort in their campaigning to win over the voters.
The 58 Lok Sabha constituencies that will go to the polls on Saturday include 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Haryana (10), Bihar and West Bengal (8 each), Delhi (7), Odisha (6), Jharkhand (4), and Jammu and Kashmir (1). A total of 889 candidates are in the fray for the crucial sixth phase of polling.
The prominent candidates representing the BJP include Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan contesting from Sambalpur, Odisha, former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal, Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi, and Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi. On the other hand, notable figures from the Congress include Kumari Selja vying for Sirsa, Haryana, Deepender Singh Hooda contesting from Rohtak, Haryana, J.P. Agarwal from Chandni Chowk, Delhi, and Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi.
Also in the spotlight is senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti contesting from New Delhi. Voting for the sixth phase is set for May 25, followed by the seventh and final phase on June 1. The results are slated to be announced on June 4. The seats that would see polling on Saturday are as follows: Bihar: Valmiki Nagar, Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan and Maharajganj. Haryana: Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Hisar, Karnal, Sonipat, Rohtak, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Jharkhand: Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi and Jamshedpur. Odisha: Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri and Bhubaneswar. Uttar Pradesh: Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr and Bhadohi. West Bengal: Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur. Delhi: Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North West Delhi, West Delhi and South Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir: Anantnag-Rajouri.