Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 4: Voting in 9 States, Jammu and Kashmir Today: 10 Key Points

The southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will be holding simultaneous elections. A total of 42 of the 96 seats (44 per cent) are spread across these two states.

This phase will mark the conclusion of polling in the southern region. Additionally, Jammu and Kashmir will be having its first election since 2019, with polling being held for the Srinagar constituency, one of the two Lok Sabha seats in the Union Territory.

However, polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat has been deferred to May 25 following objections from the BJP. Despite not officially aligning with the ruling dispensation or the Opposition bloc, the Aam Aadmi Party’s leader, Arvind Kejriwal, received temporary bail from the Supreme Court.

This is in relation to a case concerning liquor policy, and he will have to surrender on June 2, a day after the completion of the seven-phase election. Several prominent leaders from both the ruling party and the Opposition will be contesting in this phase, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ajay Mishra.

The latter’s son is currently in jail in connection with the death of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri after an incident in which his car was involved. Notable Opposition leaders in the fray include Trinamool Congress’s Mohua Moitra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Trinamool’s Shatrughan Sinha, and National Conference’s Omar Abdullah.

Moreover, ongoing questions about the Election Commission’s role have emerged, particularly after it issued notices to the Congress and BJP chiefs following controversial comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The subsequent phase of the election is scheduled for May 20, with the counting of votes set to commence on June 4, after the conclusion of the final phase of the election on June 1.