New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal claimed on Saturday that from the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election onwards, the BJP has faced setbacks as public discourse has shifted from the Ram temple to issues like inflation and unemployment. "The information I am receiving indicates significant changes in the fifth and sixth phases. The momentum seen in these phases was absent earlier. People are no longer discussing the Ram temple but are focused on inflation, unemployment, and other local issues, which will significantly impact the BJP," Sibal told the media.

Sibal noted that in the 2019 general election, the BJP received substantial support from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities, but this trend has changed. "If the equation of Muslim, OBC, SC, ST, and Yadav voters holds, it will harm the BJP. Their claim of crossing 400 seats is not to be taken seriously; it's a joke," he remarked. The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election is currently underway, covering 58 parliamentary constituencies across six states and two Union Territories.

This phase includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal, with a total of 889 candidates contesting. Concurrently, voting is also taking place for 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha. Key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk in Delhi, as well as Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Other notable constituencies are Anantnag-Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, Tamluk and Medinipur in West Bengal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, and Rohtak in Haryana, and Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Sambalpur in Odisha. The stakes are high for the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other members of the INDIA bloc in this phase of the election.

Polling for 428 parliamentary constituencies across 25 states and Union Territories has been completed in the first five phases of the general elections. In the sixth phase, over 11.13 crore voters, including 5.84 crore males, 5.29 crore females, and 5120 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote. Approximately 11.4 lakh polling officials are involved in conducting this phase of the election. The Lok Sabha elections will conclude on June 1 with the seventh phase, during which voters from 57 constituencies will cast their ballots. The results will be declared on June 4.

Mt Everest Climbers Presumed Dead After Icy Collapse in Treacherous ‘Death Zone’

Canada Introduces New Legislation to Ease Citizenship Process, All You Need to Know

US Extends Some Tariff Exemptions on Chinese Imports, What's Next