West Bengal leads as voting in the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections sees a 10% turnout by 9 a.m., deciding the fate of prominent candidates like Amit Shah and Dimple Yadav.

Voting commenced at 7 a.m. on Tuesday for the third phase of the Lok Sabha Election 2024, with 93 constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories participating. By 9 a.m., voter turnout reached 10%, led by enthusiastic participation in West Bengal.

Key political figures contesting include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking re-election in Gandhinagar, Gujarat; Jyotiraditya Scindia in Guna, Madhya Pradesh; Mansukh Mandaviya in Porbandar, Gujarat; and Pralhad Joshi in Dharwad, Karnataka. Notable candidates from Uttar Pradesh include Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav, vying for a seat, and Akshay and Aditya Yadav, also from the late Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family.

This election phase carries significant weight in shaping the political landscape, particularly in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where familial political legacies will play out. In Maharashtra’s Baramati, the contest between NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar will determine the fate of the ‘Pawar family’ stronghold.

In this third phase, 1,351 candidates are vying for seats in these 93 constituencies, with a total of 17.24 crore eligible voters. Women voters comprise 8.39 crore of the electorate.

The states and Union Territories involved include Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. In Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already secured the Surat seat unopposed.

The second phase of the elections, which took place on April 26, covered 88 constituencies across 12 states and Union Territories. The remaining phases will proceed as follows:

– Phase 4: May 13

– Phase 5: May 20

– Phase 6: May 25

– Phase 7: June 1

The counting of votes for all 543 seats will take place on June 4.