Phase 5 of LS polls: 695 candidates set to contest across 49 constituencies
New Delhi (PTI): A total of 695 candidates are in the fray across 49 constituencies spread over eight states and Union territories in the upcoming fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday.
The figure emerged after the scrutiny of 1,586 nomination forms filed for the fifth phase of the ongoing polls. Of the nominations, 749 were found to be valid after the deadline for filing papers closed on May 3, according to a statement issued by the EC.
The statement said 695 candidates will contest the polls from eight states and Union territories in the fifth phase on May 20.
Maharashtra topped the list with 512 nominations, resulting in 301 valid candidates contesting across 13 constituencies, while Uttar Pradesh followed closely with 466 nominations, leading to 147 valid candidates across 14 constituencies.
The highest number of nominations in a single constituency was seen in Maharashtra's Chatra, which received 69 candidatures, followed by Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh with 67 nominations.
Each constituency in the fifth phase is expected to witness an average of 14 contesting candidates, reflecting a diverse range of political options for the voters.
The state-wise breakdown of the nominations and valid candidates after the scrutiny showcases the dynamic electoral landscape across the country. Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal together form the crux of the fifth phase, encompassing a significant portion of the country's electorate, the statement said.
Three phases of polling have so far been held in the seven-phase election.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
19-yr-old woman found hanging from tree in UP village; juvenile held
Lucknow/Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Police have apprehended a 16-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in a village here, officials said on Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, said that the body of a 19-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in an orchard in the Manikpur police station area on Sunday morning. A post-mortem examination subsequently confirmed that she had been raped.
Police registered a case against unidentified persons under sections 103(1) (punishment for murder) and 70(1) (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and initiated an investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the police found that the deceased was in contact with a juvenile who was also her relative.
Acting on this information, during a joint checking operation, sub-inspector Amit Kumar Singh of Manikpur police station and SOG In-charge Amit Kumar Chaurasia, along with their team, apprehended the 16-year-old near the Lehdari Ganga River bridge.
The search for other accused persons is ongoing, police said.
According to the police, the woman had gone to sleep after dinner on Saturday night but was found hanging in an orchard nearly 400 metres away from her home the following morning.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, had earlier said that the circumstances suggest foul play.
"The victim's slippers and undergarments were recovered 50 metres away from the spot where the body was found. There are visible injury marks on her body," Rai said.
While locals have alleged that the woman was murdered after being raped, the ASP said that it is "prima facie a case of murder."
"Based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, a case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons," the officer added.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X in Hindi on Monday, said, "The news of the heinous murder of a Dalit daughter in Pratapgarh is deeply tragic and condemnable."
"The question remains: why does the spate of murders of 'PDA daughters' continue unabated in Uttar Pradesh? Are the BJP government's claims regarding women's safety merely hollow rhetoric, or is there, in fact, discrimination even in the provision of security for women?" he said.
"Whenever the 'wandering Honourable (ghumantu maananiye)' finds a moment of respite from election campaigning, he should cast a glance at the plight of the daughters of his own Uttar Pradesh. In any case, apart from injustice and oppression, no sister, daughter, or mother of this state holds any hope from you," Yadav added.
