Mumbai, April 10 (IANS) The first phase of elections in Maharashtra for 10 Lok Sabha seats got underway here Thursday morning with early voters queuing up outside polling stations, officials said.
A total of 201 candidates, including 90 independents, are in the fray and they are vying for attention of around 1.22 crore voters spread in Vidarbha region.
There a total of eight general category constituencies, while one is reserved for Scheduled Tribes and one for Scheduled Castes.
The maximum number of 33 candidates are contesting from Nagpur, while seven - the lowest - are in the fray in Akola.
Out of 201 candidates, there are only 15 women candidates, including two from prominent parties like Nationalist Congress Party and Aam Aadmi Party.
Among the political parties, the maximum number of seats are being contested by Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party with 10, followed by the Congress seven and Bharatiya Janata Party six candidates.
Shiv Sena has put up four candidates, NCP has three and CPI has one candidate.
In terms of electorate, the Nagpur constituency with 1.62 million voters is the largest while Bhandara-Gondia with a little over one million voters is the smallest.
The Election Commission has deployed 10 general observers, and 10 election expenditure observers to monitor the first phase of elections.
The 10 constituencies that went to polls Thursday are Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Bhandara-Gondiya, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Nagpur, Ramtek, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim.
Prominent candidates whose fate will be sealed in EVMs include union Minister Praful Patel (NCP), Congress MP Vilas Muttemwar, BJP ex-president Nitin Gadkari, AAP state leader Anjali Damania, former minister and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, state Congress ministers Shivajirao Moghe and Sanjay Deotale.
Then, there are Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar (BRP) - the grandson of B. R. Ambedkar, former model-actress Navneet Kaur Rana (NCP), realtor Gunvant Devpare (BSP) and independent candidate Balasaheb Darade, a former NASA consultant who is supported by Anna Hazare.
A little guest is going to come soon to the Kapoor family. Actresses Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor
The right time to invest in FD, interest rates will increase soon
If you are a traditional investor investing in Fixed Deposits (FDs), then there is good news for
Ukraine has also ordered a general mobilization of its countrymen to be deployed in Maidan-e-Jung
India and Pakistan faced each other for the first time in the World Cup on 4 March 1992 at the Sy
On the occasion of Doctors Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that his government i
Greenpeace activist Engaged in Anti-National Activities
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) The central government told the Delhi High Court Friday that Greenpeace
Kerala backwaters a hit draw at Spanish Tourism Fair
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (IANS) A few days after US President Barack Obama referred to the Ker
Rijiju calls for 'transit camp' for northeast people in metros
New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju Thursday direct
FIR lodged against teacher earning Rs 1 crore in 25 schools simultaneously
An FIR has been lodged in Baghpat against Anamika Shukla, working simultaneously in the post of t
The 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start in the last week of March. Before t
