Stage set for fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections

New Delhi, May 12 (ANI): The stage is set for the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in 86 constituencies in seven States and two Union Territories on Wednesday.

In this phase, polling will take place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab; and two Union Territories - Chandigarh, Puducherry.

Elections will be held to four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 39 in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, the lone one seat each in Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states to have undergone polls in all the five phases.

The prominent contestants in the fray are Congress's P. Chidambaram and Mohd. Azharuddin, BJP's Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinod Khanna, DMK's M K Azhagiri, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu and A Raja, MDMK's Vaiko, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party's Jayaprada.

The other important contestants in the fray are Mani Shankar Aiyar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sajjad Gani Lone, and Tamil actor M Karthik.

So far, elections have been completed to 457 seats since the exercise began on April 16.

On May 7, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections held for 85 constituencies spread across seven States had witnessed 57 per cent voting of the total 9.46 crore eligible votes.

The first, second and third phases of polling were held on April 16, 23 and 30 respectively.

The counting of votes will take place on May 16. The 543-member House will be constituted before June 2. (ANI)