In the fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, 13 constituencies will go to polls on Monday, bringing an end to the electoral process in the state. Over 2.46 crore eligible voters will decide the fate of 264 candidates. The main contest is between the ruling Mahayuti comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, and the opposition alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP). Mumbai, Thane and Palghar where 10 of these 13 seats are located form a major part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, one of the most urbanised pockets in the country.
In Odisha, over 70.69 lakh voters will cast their votes in five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly constituencies during the second phase of polls in the state. A total of 40 candidates are in the fray for the five Lok Sabha seats, while 265 nominees, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will try their luck in the 35 assembly segments.
In West Bengal, seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the southern part of the state will go to polls on Monday. A total of 1,25,23,702 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 13,481 polling stations across the seven constituencies. The EC has identified over 57 per cent of the polling booths as sensitive and decided to deploy over 60,000 central forces besides 29,172 state police personnel for this phase.
The other states going to polls in this phase are Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
