Polling in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2019 began at 7 am on Sunday, May 19, across 59 parliamentary constituencies. Phase 7 polling will determine the fate of 912 candidates.
Voting will take place in 13 seats each in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, 9 seats in West Bengal, 8 seats each in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, 4 seats in Himachal Pradesh and 3 seats in Jharkhand; one in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Ahead of the last phase of the national elections, International Business Times explains who the key candidates to watch for are:
The seventh phase will witness key battles in the Bharatiya Janata Party stronghold of Varanasi and Gorakhpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second time from Varanasi, which is among the 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will fight from his bastion Gorakhpur, which is also voting today (May 19).
Check the LIVE Updates of the Phase 7 Lok Saha Elections 2019 here.
Among the other heavy weight candidates in Phase 7 national elections are, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP lawmaker and veteran actress Kirron Kher, actor-turned-politician and Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha, Union Minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal and BJP nominee Sunny Deol.
Other prominent leaders include former Punjab Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, RJD leader Misa Bharti who is daughter of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav, Union Minister and BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav, former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and Bhojpuri actor-turned politician Ravi Kishan who is BJP candidate from Gorakhpur.
Election to 542 Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies is being conducted in seven phases between April 11 and May 19. Phase 7 will be the last and final phase of polling. Polling in Vellore Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu has been cancelled following excess use of money power. The counting of votes and the results will be declared on May 23.
