LS polls phase 7: Approximate voter turnout 11.31 pc in 57 constituencies of 8 states
New Delhi (PTI): In the seventh and final phase of the general election on Saturday, polling is being held for 57 constituencies spread across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.
The voting is being held in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are also taking place simultaneously.
Till 9 am, the approximate polling percentage was 11.31 per cent, according to the Election Commission's (EC) voter-turnout app.
A voter turnout of nearly 12.15 per cent was recorded in Jharkhand till 9 am. Uttar Pradesh logged a polling percentage of 12.94, West Bengal 12.63, Bihar 10.58 and Himachal Pradesh 14.35.
Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 9.64 per cent in the first two hours of polling while Chandigarh registered a voting percentage of 11.64. Odisha recorded around 7.69 per cent voting till 9 pm.
The voting began at 7 am. Voters were seen standing in queues in front of polling booths since early in the morning among severe heatwave conditions in several parts of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to exercise their franchise.
"Together, let's make our democracy more vibrant and participative," the prime minister said on X.
"Today is the final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As 57 seats across 8 states and UTs go to the polls, calling upon the voters to turnout in large numbers and vote. I hope young and women voters exercise their franchise in record numbers," he added.
Other prominent candidates among the 904 in the fray are Union minister Anurag Thakur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and actor Kangana Ranaut.
More than 10.06 crore citizens, including nearly 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women and 3,574 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase.
Saturday's voting will mark the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the counting for the Assembly polls will be held on June 2.
According to the EC's guidelines, television channels and news outlets will be able to run exit poll data and its results after 6:30 pm.
The poll panel has called upon voters to turn out in greater numbers and vote with responsibility and pride. The turnout in the first six phases of the general election was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent, 65.68 per cent, 69.16 per cent, 62.2 per cent and 63.36 per cent respectively.
The campaigning for the last phase, which ended on Thursday evening, saw ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, led by Modi, accusing the Congress and the INDIA opposition bloc of being corrupt, anti-Hindu and engaging in loot, appeasement and dynastic politics.
The opposition parties have been claiming that the BJP is anti-farmer, anti-youth and will change and scrap the Constitution if it wins the election.
Polling is being held in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar, along with the bypoll to the Agiaon Assembly seat. Union minister R K Singh and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad are among the contestants in the fray.
The Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda seats in Jharkhand are going to polls in this phase. All eyes are on Dumka, where the BJP's Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, is contesting against the INDIA bloc's Nalin Soren. Sita Soren, a three-term former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator, joined the BJP just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Polling is being held for six Lok Sabha and 42 Assembly seats in Odisha.
Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik, the government's chief whip Prashant Muduli, Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal and BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda are among the candidates in the fray.
Voting is also being held for the Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar seats in West Bengal.
Several heavyweight candidates, including incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Sougata Roy and Mala Roy, former Union minister Debasree Chaudhuri of the BJP and senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, are in the fray.
Voting is underway in 13 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of 80 members to the Lok Sabha among all the states.
In Punjab, INDIA bloc allies - the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - are contesting the election separately, while the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are fighting the polls on their own for the first time since 1996.
Polling is being held for four Lok Sabha seats - Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra and Shimla - and six Assembly constituencies of Sujanpur, Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Barsar, Gagret and Kutlehar in Himachal Pradesh. All eyes are on Mandi, where Ranaut of the BJP has locked horns with the Congress's Vikramaditya Singh.
The voting is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm, barring in Jharkhand, where it is scheduled to conclude at 5 pm.
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India and Netherlands ink 17 pacts, elevate ties to strategic partnership
The Hague (PTI): Driven by shifting global geopolitics, India and the Netherlands elevated their ties to a strategic partnership and inked 17 agreements to boost cooperation in defence, critical minerals and other key sectors during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten.
In their meeting on Saturday evening, the two prime ministers expressed deep concern over the situation in West Asia, especially its serious implications for the region and the wider world in view of disruptions caused to the global energy supplies and trade networks.
Modi and Jetten also called for freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, while opposing any "restrictive" measures, and reaffirmed their support for ongoing initiatives in this regard, according to a joint statement.
Roughly one-fifth of global energy supplies pass through this narrow waterway, where shipping has been severely disrupted since February 28, after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine - marked by the ongoing conflict with Russia and regional security developments.
They agreed to continue supporting efforts towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy, based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law, it added.
Modi landed in The Hague on Friday on a two-day visit as part of a four-nation trip to Europe that is aimed at ramping up bilateral ties in a range of key areas.
Following the Modi-Jetten talks, India and the Netherlands unveiled a "strategic partnership roadmap" to boost ties in trade and investment, defence and security, critical and emerging technologies including semiconductors, space, AI and quantum computing.
The two leaders also launched an ambitious "India-Netherlands roadmap on the development of green hydrogen".
Modi and Jetten also agreed to explore possibilities of establishing a defence industrial roadmap to ensure joint manufacturing of defence equipment, systems, components and other key capabilities through transfer of technology and setting up of joint ventures.
The Netherlands is one of India's largest trading destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade touching USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India's fourth largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
The Netherlands, with its world class logistics network also serves as a strategic gateway to Europe for Indian exporters, mainly through the Port of Rotterdam.
In the talks, the two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in science and innovation, sustainability, health, agriculture, water management, climate change and energy transition, maritime development and people-to-people ties.
The agreements inked between the two sides will provide for boosting cooperation in areas of semiconductors, critical minerals, health, water, renewable energy, agriculture and culture among others, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
A key pact signed following the Modi-Jetten meeting was one on migration and mobility, which is expected to facilitate greater movement of Indians to the European nation for jobs and education.
While deliberating on geopolitical developments, the two leaders called for a free, open and peaceful lndo-Pacific, based on respect for international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, freedom of navigation, and "absence of coercion and conflicts", according to the joint statement.
The remarks came against the backdrop of growing global concerns over China's increasingly assertive behaviour in the region.
Recognising the strategic importance of critical minerals for continued innovation, the two prime ministers expressed their mutual interest in strengthening cooperation across the critical minerals value chain, including exploration and integration of value chains.
Both leaders also welcomed an initiative to connect the Dutch Semicon Competence Centre to the Indian Semiconductor Mission, which aims to support and strengthen the semiconductor sector, according to the joint statement.
On enhancing overall two-way trade, Modi and Jetten emphasised the immense potential for further growth particularly in light of opportunities arising from the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, which was signed earlier this year.
In the meeting, PM Modi thanked Jetten for the continued Dutch support to India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
According to the joint statement, Jetten strongly condemned the “heinous and abhorrent” Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025 - in which 26 people were killed - and extended his country's unwavering support to India in its fight against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.
The two prime ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called for a "zero tolerance" approach to combat terrorism and rejected double standards in countering the menace, it said.
"There has been significant progress in India-Netherlands ties in the last one decade," Modi said in his televised opening remarks during the meeting with Jetten.
The prime minister said India considers the Netherlands among its most important partners as the historical and people to people relations between the two sides are "deep" rooted.
"Democratic values, market economy and responsible behavior are part of our common approach. Our cooperation in areas of Water, healthcare and education has been making the lives of our people better," he said.
Modi also highlighted India's economic growth.
The prime minister suggested that there should be convergence of the Netherlands' expertise and India's "speed and skill" in every sector.
"We need to take our cooperation in areas of innovation, investment, sustainability and defence to new heights. Under this common vision, we are taking India-Netherlands relations to the level of strategic partnership," Modi said.
List of outcomes (17 in total) : PM @narendramodi’s visit to the Netherlands ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 16, 2026
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