Voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha general elections began at 7 AM on Saturday across 58 constituencies in eight states and union territories.

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Over 11.13 crore eligible voters are set to determine the fate of 889 candidates in this crucial phase...

Digital Desk: Voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha general elections began at 7 AM on Saturday across 58 constituencies in eight states and union territories. Over 11.13 crore eligible voters are set to determine the fate of 889 candidates in this crucial phase. The polling is taking place in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 seats in Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, six seats in Odisha, four seats in Jharkhand, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, and the national capital.

The voter demographic includes 5.84 crore males, 5.29 crore females, and 5,120 third-gender voters. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed approximately 11.4 lakh polling officials across 1.14 lakh polling stations to ensure a smooth voting process.

Notably, 39% of the candidates in this phase are crorepatis, with average declared assets of Rs 6.21 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Prominent candidates in this phase include BJP's Dharmendra Pradhan, Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar, Maneka Gandhi, Sambit Patra, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Manoj Tiwari.

Other key contenders are PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Congress's Raj Babbar, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Deepender Singh Hooda. The outcome of this phase is expected to significantly impact the overall election results.