Polling for 51 seats in India elections for fifth phase

Mumbai: Voters in India are heading to the polls on Monday in the latest round of the country’s Lok Sabha elections.
Ballots will be cast in 51 constituencies in seven states, including Uttar Pradesh.
The huge state, with a population of over 200 million people, accounts for 80 of the 543 seats that will be decided in this year’s elections.
Around 14 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh will vote in this phase. That includes Amethi, the Gandhi family stronghold that Congress has only lost twice. The seat is currently held by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has won there three consecutive times.
However, this year, he will be facing a strong challenge from Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, will also be contesting in Raebareli. There, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fielding former Congress member Dinesh Pratap Singh.
Heavy campaigning
Leaders from both of the country’s largest parties heavily campaigned in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made a particularly controversial remark attacking the former administration of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Addressing the deceased leader’s son, Modi said, “Your father was termed ‘Mr. Clean’ by his courtiers, but his life ended as ‘Bhrashtachari No:1’.”
The statement provoked widespread condemnation from opposition supporters.
Gandhi in response tweeted a ‘hug’ to the Prime Minister, saying “Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won’t protect you. All my love and a huge hug.”
The other states voting in this round are Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, in addition to Jammu and Kashmir.
This is the fifth of seven phases that are being held as part of the Lok Sabha elections. The next two phases will be held on the 12th and 19th of May respectively. Votes will be counted on 23 May.