On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his wife, Savitri Singh, cast their votes in Lucknow during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Singh, the incumbent MP and BJP candidate for the Lucknow constituency, called on voters across the country to participate in the electoral process.
"I urge all voters in Lucknow and nationwide to come out and vote today, bringing along your family members. This is our appeal," Singh told the media.
Expressing confidence in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Singh added, "The NDA aims to win over 400 seats this time, although I won't predict the exact number."
In Lucknow, Singh is contesting against Samajwadi Party candidate Ravidas Mehrotra and Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Sarwar Malik. After voting, Singh and his wife showed their inked fingers, signifying their participation in the democratic process.
Singh's son, Pankaj Singh, an MLA from Noida, also cast his vote. He encouraged voters to turn out in large numbers, saying, "I request all voters to vote in record numbers. The stronger the voter turnout, the stronger our democracy. I particularly urge young voters and women to participate actively. Vote for a self-reliant and developed India."
The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections is critical, with the Defence Minister's appeal underscoring the importance of voter turnout in shaping the country's future leadership.
Lucknow, one of 80 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, plays a significant role in the Lok Sabha due to its large population. Historically, the Congress has won the Lucknow seat six times, while the BJP has won eight times. The constituency gained prominence when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee represented it, winning five times after initial defeats in the 1950s and 1960s.
Addressing a public meeting earlier, Rajnath Singh emphasized his efforts to fulfill Vajpayee's vision for Lucknow. "We have worked hard to realize Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji's dreams for Lucknow and remain committed to further advancing it. Lucknow currently ranks tenth globally, and we aim to elevate it to the fifth position," Singh said.
The Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency comprises five assembly segments: Lucknow East, Lucknow West, Lucknow Central, Lucknow North, and Cantt. There are 3,933,017 registered voters, including 2,082,888 men, 1,849,960 women, and 169 third-gender voters.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Lucknow had a voter turnout of 54.72%. Rajnath Singh won with 633,026 votes, securing 56.70% of the total, defeating SP's Poonam Sinha and Congress' Acharya Pramod Krishnam. In 2014, Singh also won, receiving 561,106 votes and 54.52% of the vote share, defeating Congress' Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
Besides Lucknow, other constituencies voting today in Uttar Pradesh include Kaiserganj, Amethi, Mohanlalganj, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambhi, Faizabad, Barabanki, Raebareli, and Gonda.
Polling for all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh is being conducted in seven phases, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
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