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

The state of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are both set to pick their next government in simultaneous elections. This phase will see the conclusion of polling in the southern states, with forty-two of the 96 seats (44%) being spread across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Jammu and Kashmir will have its first election since 2019 today, 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 after objections from the BJP.

Both the ruling dispensation and the Opposition bloc have not officially been joined by either party, although they have provided “issue-based support” to the Central government multiple times in parliament. Amid questions about the role of the Election Commission, today’s voting is taking place after controversial comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, resulting in notices being sent to the BJP and Congress chiefs. On a positive note for the Aam Aadmi Party, party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted an interim bail from the Supreme Court. Mr. Kejriwal, who was arrested in the liquor policy case, will need to surrender on June 2, the day after the seven-phase election ends.

Several senior leaders from both the BJP and the Opposition are vying for seats in today’s election, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ajay Mishra. Notably, Ajay Mishra’s son is in jail in connection with the farmers’ death in Lakhimpur Kheri after being run over by his car. Key Opposition leaders contesting today 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. The next phase of the election is due on May 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4 after the conclusion of the last phase of the election on June 1.