Voting for the sixth and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha elections began at 7 am across 58 constituencies in six states and two Union Territories, including all seven seats in Delhi. In this phase, 889 candidates are competing, with over 11.13 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots, comprising 5.84 crore men, 5.29 crore women, and 5,120 individuals of the third gender. The Election Commission (EC) has deployed approximately 11.4 lakh officials across 1.14 lakh polling stations.
Besides the national capital, polling will be held on Saturday in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 seats in Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, six seats in Odisha, four seats in Jharkhand, and one seat in Jammu and Kashmir. Simultaneously, voting will take place for 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha.
Among the prominent candidates in this phase are Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Rao Inderjit Singh, and Krishan Pal Gurjar; BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi, Sambit Patra, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Manoj Tiwari; PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti; and Congress leaders Deepender Singh Hooda, Raj Babbar, and Kanhaiya Kumar.
Over 11.13 crore voters—5.84 crore male, 5.29 crore female, and 5,120 third gender—are eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase. The Election Commission (EC) has deployed around 11.4 lakh polling officials across 1.14 lakh polling stations. With large parts of India sweltering under a heat wave, the EC has directed election officials and state machinery to take adequate measures to manage the adverse impact of the hot weather.
The fifth phase saw a voter turnout of 62.2 percent in the 49 seats that went to polls on May 20. In West Bengal, voting will be held in the Jangal Mahal region, a tribal belt spanning five districts. This region, a hotspot for identity politics, sends eight representatives to the Lok Sabha from the constituencies of Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won five of these seats, while the TMC secured three.