(MENAFN) On Tuesday, voting commenced in India for the third phase of the extensive general elections. Spanning from April 19 to June 1, citizens across the nation will elect 543 representatives to the lower house of parliament, known as the Lok Sabha, with the vote count scheduled for June 4.
India's Election Commission announced that polling would occur in 93 constituencies across 11 states and union territories during this phase. Approximately 172.4 million voters are eligible to participate in the third phase of voting. In the preceding two phases, millions of voters turned out to cast their ballots for 189 parliamentary seats.
Expressing concern over the voter turnout in the previous phases compared to the 2019 polls, the Election Commission revealed that it has intensified its efforts to encourage voter participation. Notably, it has doubled voter engagement interventions to address the slight decline in turnout witnessed in the initial phases of the Lok Sabha polls.
Tuesday's voting will also witness the presence of numerous foreign delegates, who will observe India's polling process and management, as per the commission's announcement. Polling stations are set to open at 7 a.m. (0130GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (1230GMT).
Prominent figures, including Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, are among the more than 1,300 candidates vying for seats in this phase of the polls. Over 70 seats up for grabs in this phase were secured by the ruling party during the 2019 general elections.
The 93 constituencies where voting is scheduled to take place include 25 seats in Gujarat state, followed by 14 in southern Karnataka state. Other states and union territories participating in this phase include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.
The Election Commission disclosed on Monday night that 264 observers had been deployed to their respective constituencies several days ahead of the polls to oversee the electoral process.
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