Polling Underway in 58 Seats, President Droupadi Murmu Casts Ballot

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 6 Voting Live Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to cast their ballots in “large numbers” during the sixth phase of polling in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, 25 May

Polling is being held in 58 constituencies across eight states and Union Territories during the sixth phase.

Voting is underway in all the seats of Haryana and Delhi. The other seats going to the polls are in Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4), Odisha (6), Uttar Pradesh (14), Jammu and Kashmir (1), and West Bengal (8). Polling is also being held in 42 seats of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.

Some of the key candidates in the fray during the sixth phase include Manohar Lal Khattar, Manoj Tiwari, Kanhaiya Kumar, Maneka Gandhi, Raj Babbar, Bansuri Swaraj, Mehbooba Mufti, Sambit Patra, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav, Naveen Jindal, and Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

President Droupadi Murmu cast her ballot at a polling booth in Delhi’s Rajendra Prasad Kendriya Vidyalayaduring during the sixth phase of voting on Saturday, 25 May.

AAP leader Atishi cast her ballot at a polling booth in Delhi during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, 25 May.

PDP chief and candidate from J&K’s Anantnag–Rajouri constituency Mehbooba Mufti sat on a protest along with party leaders, alleging that poll agents of her party had been detained without any reason.

AAP leader Atishi alleged that the Delhi LG directed police officials to “slow down” voting in areas across the city considered to be strongholds of the INDIA bloc.

“We have received official information that last evening, LG had called a meeting of Delhi Police officials and instructions were given to Delhi Police that all the areas which are stronghold of INDIA alliance, voting should be slowed down in those areas. If this happens then it will be a violation of free and fair elections. So we hope that the Election Commission will take cognizance of this,” she alleged.

BJP candidate from the Puri Lok Sabha seat Sambit Patra alleged that the ECM at a polling booth in his constituency was not working.

“EVM is not working and I will speak to the returning officer and also request him for an extension of time,” he told news agency ANI.

Former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala cast his ballot at a polling booth in Haryana’s Sirsa on Saturday.

“I appeal to people to come out and exercise their right to vote and vote for the change,” he said after voting.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar cast his ballot at a polling booth in Delhi during the sixth phase on Saturday.

“We have just cast our vote and I was the first male voter in this booth. We want people to come out and cast their votes as this is a decisive moment for the country,” he said after voting.

Congress candidate from North East Delhi Kanhaiya Kumar took to X on Saturday to express gratitude to voters of his constituency.

“My dear colleagues of North East Delhi, respected elders and my mothers and sisters of this area! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you encouraged me by giving me love, respect and blessings during the election campaign, regardless of the heat and sun!” he said.

“I have full faith that even today this sunshine and heat will not be able to break your spirit; you will come out of your homes and take your fight against inflation, unemployment and injustice to its logical conclusion,” Kumar added.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was among the early voters to cast their ballots in Karnal during the sixth phase of polls on Saturday.

“I have cast my vote. I appeal to the people to participate in this festival of democracy and also appeal to vote for the BJP party. The Congress candidate is not a challenge for me,” he said after voting.

He is fighting the election from the Karnal constituency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X on Saturday, 25 May, to urge people to vote in large numbers during the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Every vote counts, make yours count too! Democracy thrives when its people are engaged and active in the electoral process. I specially urge women voters and youth voters to vote in large numbers,” he said.

The Agnipath Scheme, implemented in September 2022, saw huge protests by Army aspirants, as the scheme offered a four-year contractual service with the Indian Army.

The Arrah town in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, considered the ‘Army Belt of Bihar’, was at the centre of the agitation when the Centre had introduced the scheme in June 2022.

Two years on, The Quint visits Arrah to find whether the scheme will have an impact on how these aspirants vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Read the full story here.

“Instead of empowering the poor, the government is suppressing their voice. We are neither getting any support from the government nor are we getting any work through MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act),” said 38-year-old Krishna. She is a MGNREGA worker from Nighdu village in Karnal district of Haryana, where Lok Sabha elections are due on 25 May.  

Amid rising prices and the dearth of jobs in rural Haryana, The Quint spoke to MGNREGA workers on if they are receiving guaranteed work, and if not, would it weigh on their minds when they cast their ballots on 25 May.

Read the full story here.

“It is people’s participation that makes India a functioning democracy. And I am very excited to be a part of what is being touted as the largest democratic exercise,” said Shubhangi Semwal, a first-year student of Psychology at Delhi University (DU).

As Delhi gears to vote on 25 May in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, 2.35 lakh Delhiites will be voting for the first time. The capital city is experiencing severe heat wave conditions with day-time temperatures soaring to 47 degrees Celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ in several northern states, including Delhi.

“We will go and vote, regardless of the heat. I have cross-checked online and confirmed that our names are there on the electoral rolls,” said 20-year-old Himanshu, a third-year student at Sri Aurobindo College.

Read the full story here.

Some of the key candidates in the fray include Manohar Lal Khattar, Manoj Tiwari, Kanhaiya Kumar, Raj Babbar, Bansuri Swaraj, Sambit Patra, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav, Naveen Jindal, and Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

Voting is being held in 58 constituencies across eight states and Union Territories during the the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, 25 May.

Voting will be held in all the seats of Haryana and Delhi on Saturday. The other seats going to the polls are in Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4), Odisha (6), Uttar Pradesh (14), Jammu and Kashmir (1), and West Bengal (8).

Polling is also being held in 42 seats of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.