Porni Banerjee | ১৯ এপ্রিল ২০২৪ ১৩ : ১৩Porni Banerjee

The first phase of general elections began today in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people to open ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ (shops of love) in every corner of India by fortifying democracy and defeating hatred and violence.

“Today is the first phase of voting! Remember, each and every vote of yours is going to decide the future of India’s democracy and its generations,” Gandhi made a statement in Hindi on X.

“Go out and strengthen democracy by applying the balm of your vote on the wounds inflicted on the soul of the country in the last 10 years,” he added.

His message was accompanied by a graphic that highlighted key promises made by Congress including commitments to apprenticeship rights, legal assurances for Minimum Support Price (MSP), and a comprehensive nationwide caste census.

On the first day, polls are being held on all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Rajasthan (12), Uttar Pradesh (8), Madhya Pradesh (6), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). Besides, there will be five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.

Notably, assembly elections are ongoing in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats).

At least 16.63 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase at 1.87 lakh polling stations, with 18 lakh officials deployed for poll duty. A total of 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 third-gender electors are eligible to vote this year. In addition, as many as 35.67 lakh are first-time voters in the age group of 20-29.