Lok Sabha Elections 2019: 7th and final phase voting underway

SUMMARY

Voting began on Sunday across 59 Lok Sabha constituencies spanning seven states and a Union Territory across north, central and east India in the final of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise. A total electorate of over 10.1 crore is eligible to cast their ballots in this phase which covers all remaining seats in the three states -- Uttar Pradesh (13, including the high-profile Varanasi constituency), Bihar (8) and West Bengal (9) - where polling took place across all seven phases, as well as in Madhya Pradesh (8) and Jharkhand (3) which also saw multi-stage voting. All the 13 constituencies in Punjab, one in Chandigarh, and four in Himachal Pradesh also figure in this phase.

By CNBC-TV18May 19, 2019 3:03:28 PM IST (Updated)

Women stand in queues to cast their votes in the seventh and final phase of national elections, on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Indians are voting in the seventh and final phase of national elections, wrapping up a 6-week-long long, grueling campaign season with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party seeking reelection for another five years. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 23. (AP Photo)

Women wait to cast their votes in the seventh and final phase of national elections, on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019.(AP Photo)

People line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata , India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

Indians stand in queues to cast their votes in the seventh and final phase of national elections, on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

People wait to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

People line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

Election officers check the identity of voters before allowing them to cast their votes during the seventh and final phase of national elections, on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard as people line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata , India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

Indian Muslim women leave after casting their votes at a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo)

An Indian paramilitary soldier checks the identity of voters before allowing them to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Indian woman wait to cast their votes outside a polling station during the final phase of national elections in Kolkata, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

A polling official, left waits for confirmation of successful polling as an Indian man votes in the seventh and final phase of national elections in Dharamsala, India, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

BJP candidate from Patliputra constituency, Ramkripal Yadav, shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Patna, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Voters wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling station, during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, at Jayapur village in Varanasi, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Jayapur, is one of the villages adopted by Prime Miniter Narendra Modi during a drive which began in 2014 under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Patna, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Bihar's Education Minister, Krishnanand Verma, shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Jahanabad district, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Gorakhpur district, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi, shows her finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Patna district, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Women show their ID cards as they wait to cast their votes at a polling station, during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Gorakhpur district, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Security personnel check the identity card of a voter outside a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

An elderly nun is assisted by the other nun as she arrives to cast her vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Women voters at a polling station in Jayapur village during the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Varanasi constituency, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

A voter shows her identity card at a polling station in Jayapur village during the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Varanasi constituency, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Voters wait at a polling station to cast their votes for the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha polls, in Kolkata, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Voters wait in a queue at a polling station to cast their votes for the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha polls, in Kolkata, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Sanyasis of ISKCON wait in a queue in front of a polling booth to cast their votes for the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in Kolkata, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Varanasi: A woman casts her vote at a polling station, during the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, at Jayapur village in Varanasi, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi shows his forefinger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the seventh and the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections at a polling booth in Patna on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar shows his forefinger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the seventh and the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections at a polling booth in Patna on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Patna: A polling official administers indelible in on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's forefinger during the seventh and the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections at a polling booth in Patna on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

People queue-up to cast their votes during the seventh and the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections at a polling booth in Barasat, near Kolkata on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Polling will be held in nine Lok Sabha constituencies in and around Kolkata, including at Diamond Harbour where Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, considered to be the number two in Trinamool Congress, is seeking reelection. (Photo: IANS)

People arrive at a polling booth to cast their votes during the seventh and the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections in Barasat, near Kolkata on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Former Goa RSS chief and Goa Suraksha Manch candidate Subhash Velingkar shows his forefinger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during Panaji by-poll that was necessitated following the demise of Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in Panaji on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Panaji: BJP Panaji bypoll candidate and former MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker stands in a queue to cast his vote during the by-poll that was necessitated following the demise of Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in Panaji on May 19, 2019. (Photo: IANS)