Polling begins for fourth phase of LS polls

NEW DELHI: Voting began today across eight states and union territories, including Delhi, to elect 85 MPs in the fourth and penultimate round of Lok Sabha elections.

As many as 9.46 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase, in which 1,315 candidates including 119 women are in the fray.

BJP President Rajnath Singh (Ghaziabad), Congress' Pranab Mukherjee (Jangipur), SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (Mainpuri), RJD supremo Lalu Prasad (Pataliputra) and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah (Srinagar) are the big names contesting in this phase.

Other prominent candidates include Congress' Kapil Sibal (Chandni Chowk), Sachin Pilot (Ajmer), Shekhar Suman (Patna Saheb), Ajay Maken (New Delhi), BJP's Shatrughan Sinha (Patna Saheb), HJC's Bhajan Lal (Hisar) and RLD's Ajit Singh (Baghpat).

Polling, which commenced at 0700 hrs, is being held across 1.29 lakh booths.

Since the polls began on April 16, election has been completed to 372 seats of the 545-member Lok Sabha. Elections are held only to 543 seats, as two members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community.

Polling to all the 25 seats in Rajasthan, 10 in Haryana and seven in Delhi will be completed at one go. Elections will also be held to three seats in Bihar, one in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Punjab, 18 in Uttar Pradesh and 17 in West Bengal.