Election 2021: PM has been urging voters to step out and use their democratic right. (File)
Highlights
- Assam and Bengal are holding the third phase of election
- Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are voting in a single phase
- Across 4 states and Puducherry, there are 20 crore eligible voters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and English as he made a strong appeal to voters in four states and Puducherry, a union territory, to step out and use their democratic right. Polling began at 7 AM in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Assam and Bengal.
While Assam and Bengal are holding the third phase of election today, which also happens to be the final phase for Assam; Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are voting in a single phase to choose the next government. Bengal has five more phases left.
In his tweet, PM Modi reached out to young voters. "Elections are taking place in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. I request the people in these places to vote in record numbers, particularly the young voters," he wrote.
He made a similar appeal in Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam too.
Across the four states and Puducherry, there are more than 20 crore eligible voters and political parties have been running a hectic political campaign for the last few weeks.
PM Modi also made several visits to Assam and Bengal and he also campaigned in Tamil Nadu and Kerala where the BJP's E Sreedharan, popularly known as "Metroman", is contesting from Palakkad. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK-BJP alliance is facing the DMK-Congress combine and actor-politician Kamal Haasan's MNM.
The Election Commission has ensured Covid protocols are strictly followed at all polling booths as India witnesses an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases. Yesterday, the country recorded over 1 lakh cases, the biggest daily surge since the start of the pandemic.
Votes will be counted on May 2.