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Campaigning for fourth phase of LS polls to end tomorrow
New Delhi, May 07: The nearly three-month-long campaigning for the 14th Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections comes to an end tomorrow, setting the stage for the final round of polling on May 10 in 182 parliamentary constituencies and the 32 assembly segments of Sikkim.
New Delhi, May 07: The nearly three-month-long campaigning for the 14th Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections comes to an end tomorrow, setting the stage for the final round of polling on May 10 in 182 parliamentary constituencies and the 32 assembly segments of Sikkim.
The 182 seats involved in the May 10 poll are spread over 16 states and union territories.
Polling has already been completed for 361 Lok Sabha seats and for the simultaneous assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Karnakata and Orissa in the first four phases on April 20, 22 and 26 and May 5.
The focus of canvassing kept changing with the completion of each round of polling as the two major alliances, led by the BJP and the Congress respectively, altered their strategies, depending upon the opinion and exit poll projections by television news channels. Even the other parties, particularly the left, tried to woo the voters by talking about the likely formation of a Third Front government.
The campaign was marked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi's road shows across the country and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's month-long ''Bharat Uday Yatra'' harping on India Shining and Feel Good Factor themes to highlight the achievements of the BJP-led NDA government.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed dozens of public meetings across the country, focussing on development and stability. Electioneering had begun shortly after the 13th Lok Sabha was dissolved on February 6, nearly eight months ahead of its full five-year term. The election commission announced the elections on February 29.
The May 10 polling will cover all the 42 seats from West Bengal, 39 from Tamil Nadu, 20 from Kerala, 13 from Punjab, 10 from Haryana, seven from Delhi, five from Uttaranchal, four from Himachal Pradesh which are among the states slated for one-day balloting.
The other states and union territories involved in the final phase are Uttar Pradesh (18 seats), Madhya Pradesh (17), Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry and Sikkim (one each), Assam (one: Silchar where polling was deferred due to rains on April 26), and Jammu and Kashmir (two). Bureau Report
Polling has already been completed for 361 Lok Sabha seats and for the simultaneous assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Karnakata and Orissa in the first four phases on April 20, 22 and 26 and May 5.
The focus of canvassing kept changing with the completion of each round of polling as the two major alliances, led by the BJP and the Congress respectively, altered their strategies, depending upon the opinion and exit poll projections by television news channels. Even the other parties, particularly the left, tried to woo the voters by talking about the likely formation of a Third Front government.
The campaign was marked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi's road shows across the country and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's month-long ''Bharat Uday Yatra'' harping on India Shining and Feel Good Factor themes to highlight the achievements of the BJP-led NDA government.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed dozens of public meetings across the country, focussing on development and stability. Electioneering had begun shortly after the 13th Lok Sabha was dissolved on February 6, nearly eight months ahead of its full five-year term. The election commission announced the elections on February 29.
The May 10 polling will cover all the 42 seats from West Bengal, 39 from Tamil Nadu, 20 from Kerala, 13 from Punjab, 10 from Haryana, seven from Delhi, five from Uttaranchal, four from Himachal Pradesh which are among the states slated for one-day balloting.
The other states and union territories involved in the final phase are Uttar Pradesh (18 seats), Madhya Pradesh (17), Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry and Sikkim (one each), Assam (one: Silchar where polling was deferred due to rains on April 26), and Jammu and Kashmir (two). Bureau Report