The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha general election finally starts today, April 19, at 7 am. Nationwide, 21 states and 102 constituencies are currently being cast by Indian voters. This voting process period consists of seven phases and ends on June 1, while electoral outcome notification is scheduled for June 4.
In this preliminary stage of the year, people from the heterogeneous states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Besides these, we have elections coming up in Union Territories, which are the Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry. Of them, 102 constituencies will be involved in this voting, which is spread across these states and UTs today.
The Narendra Modi-led NDA alliance, eyeing its third consecutive term, emphasizes the slogan ‘abki baar 400 paar’. At the same time, the opposition INDIA bloc adopts an economic-focused campaign, promising Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers and cash handouts to women as outlined in their manifesto.
Tripura leads the voter turnout with a remarkable 68.35%, marking the highest participation on the first polling day. Notably, West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya also witness significant voter engagement, recording voter turnouts above 60% on this pivotal day.
As the election process progresses, this nation remains in suspense for certain new outcomes that will prove to traverse the nation’s political perimeters. The fervour with which the electorate of different states and UTs participate in this exercise suggests that the citizens of India know that the outcome of the elections decides the direction that the country will take next.
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