Fourth phase polling begins

Voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections has begun at 7 am Monday morning. 71 Parliament constituencies, spread over nine states and Kulgam district of Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir, will exercise their franchise today.

17 seats in Maharashtra, 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, five in Bihar, and three in Jharkhand will vote in this phase.

Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, SS Ahluwalia, Babul Supriyo, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, PP Chaudhary, Subhash Bhamre and Sudershan Bhagat, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav, film actor Urmila Matondkar, BJP Bihar unit chief Nityanand Roy and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha are the prominent candidates in fray for the above constituencies today.

At the same time the remaining 41 assembly seats in Odisha, by-election to Chhindwara assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, Nighasan in Uttar Pradesh, and Krishnaganj in West Bengal.

Security has been tightened in Jammu and Kashmir, strict security arrangements have also been made in Kulgam district, part of the Anantnag parliamentary constituency.