49 parliamentary constituencies cross 8 states, UTs to vote today

New Delhi, May 19:  Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha 2024 polls will be held for 49 parliamentary constituencies (39 General, 3 ST, and 7 SC) in eight states and union territories on Monday.

The voting will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm, though timings may vary by constituency and the Election Commission of India (ECI) has said that it is all prepared for the fifth phase of the parliamentary polls. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Baramulla constituency will be voting on Monday along with Union Territory Ladakh, which has one parliamentary seat.

Extensive security measures have been implemented in north Kashmir to ensure smooth polling in Baramulla.

Simultaneously, 35 assembly constituencies in the Odisha Legislative Assembly will also be voting. “Polling stations are equipped with necessary amenities, such as shade, drinking water, ramps, and toilets, to ensure a comfortable and secure voting environment,” the ECI said.

Local Chief Electoral Officers and District Electoral Officers have been instructed to take measures to manage hot weather conditions where forecasted.

Polling parties have been dispatched with all required machines and materials to their respective stations.

Around 9.47 lakh polling officials will oversee the process, welcoming over 8.95 crore across 94,732 polling stations.

This voter base includes 4.69 crore men, 4.26 crore women, and 5409 third-gender electors.

To facilitate polling logistics, 17 special trains and 508 helicopter sorties have been arranged.

The ECI has deployed 153 Observers, including 55 General Observers, 30 Police Observers, and 68 Expenditure Observers, to ensure vigilance and smooth operations.

Additional Special Observers are present in certain states.Special accommodations have been made for over 7.81 lakh voters aged 85 and above, 24,792 voters over 100 years old, and 7.03 lakh persons with disabilities, who have the option to vote from home.

A total of 2000 Flying Squads, 2105 Static Surveillance Teams, 881 Video Surveillance Teams, and 502 Video Viewing Teams are in place to monitor and address any attempts to influence voters.

Strict surveillance is being maintained at 216 international border check posts and 565 inter-state border check posts to prevent the illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies.

Sea and air routes are also being monitored.

Polling stations are equipped with essential facilities like water, shade, toilets, ramps, volunteers, wheelchairs, and electricity to ensure that every voter, including the elderly and persons with disabilities, can vote comfortably.

The ECI said that Voter Information Slips have been distributed to all registered voters, serving as both a facilitation measure and an invitation from the Commission to vote.

Voters can check their polling station details and poll dates at https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in/.

For identification at polling stations, the ECI has provided 12 alternative documents in addition to the Voter ID card (EPIC).

More information on these alternative identification documents can be found at https://www.eci.gov.in/eci-backend/public/api/download.

The ECI has urged voters to turn out in large numbers, emphasising the importance of voting with responsibility and pride.

So far, the voter turnout in the Lok Sabha Polls 2024 stands at about 66.95 percent, with around 45.1 crore people having voted in the first four phases.

The states and UTs participating in the fifth phase are Bihar, J&K, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Major cities like Mumbai, Thane, and Lucknow will also be voting in this phase, and the ECI has called on urban voters to overcome past trends of low turnout.

The remaining three phases of the election will continue until June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.

Polling for 23 states and UTs and 379 parliamentary constituencies was completed in the first four phases.