As voting for the fifth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Chief Minister Mayawati cast her vote in Lucknow. Speaking to the media, she emphasized that political parties should focus on development and the welfare of the people.
Mayawati was among the first political leaders to vote in Lucknow, arriving at the polling booth at 7 a.m. “I appeal to everyone to come out and cast their votes… I request all political parties to prioritize the issues of development and the welfare of the people. Whether it is the BJP or Congress, all the parties say that they are forming the Govt but everything will be clear when the results are announced,” said Mayawati.
When asked about the possibility of change in this election, she responded, “I am hopeful that there will be a change (in power) this time. I can sense that the public is silent and they are seeing all of this…”
The BSP has chosen to contest these elections independently, unlike the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it allied with the Samajwadi Party.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by the closing time still allowed to vote. The Election Commission of India (ECI) noted that polling for 35 assembly constituencies of the Odisha legislative assembly would also occur simultaneously on Monday. According to the ECI, over 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5409 third-gender electors, will decide the fate of 695 candidates in this phase.
Key contests will take place in various constituencies during this phase. Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya are seeking electoral success. The eight states/UTs voting in Phase 5 are Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Cities like Mumbai, Thane, and Lucknow are also voting in this phase, historically marked by low urban voter turnout. The Election Commission has specifically urged these urban residents to improve their participation.
Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are in Uttar Pradesh, 13 in Maharashtra, 7 in West Bengal, 5 in Bihar, 3 in Jharkhand, 5 in Odisha, and one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. To ensure a peaceful voting process, 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams are monitoring the 94,732 polling stations around the clock.