Voting begins in the final phase of general elections in India
In India, voters have headed to the polls in the 7th and final phase of general elections to determine the members of the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha.
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India's elections, which began on April 19, see 904 candidates competing in 57 constituencies in this final phase.
Approximately 100.6 million voters have begun casting their ballots in the states of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and the union territory of Chandigarh.
Among the key candidates vying for votes in this final phase is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is running in the Varanasi constituency of Uttar Pradesh state.
Voting, which began at 07:00 local time, will conclude at 18:00.
In a statement, election officials described the final phase of the 7-stage election as the "finale of the world's largest election marathon," noting that voters have been heading to the polls despite extreme heat.
INDIA GENERAL ELECTIONS
Within the scope of the elections in India, which began on April 19 and lasted until June 1, approximately 968 million voters are casting their ballots to determine the members of the Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who emerged victorious in the last elections, is competing against a broad coalition of opposition parties gathered under the name "Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)," while he leads the "National Democratic Alliance (NDA)" formed under his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Voters cast their ballots on April 19 and 26, as well as May 7, 13, 20, and 25, as part of the 7-stage general elections covering 28 states and 8 special administrative regions known as "Union Territories" in the country. Election results will be announced on June 4.