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The high-octane campaigning for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections came to an end on Sunday with the voting set to be undertaken on May 7.
94 constituencies across 12 states/UTs will go to polling in the third phase of elections. The last day of filing nomination for this phase was April 19. The end of the campaigning marks the commencement of a 48-hour silence period. The first phase of the polling on April 19 covered 102 constituencies of 21 states and union territories (UTs) while the second phase on April 26 covered 89 constituencies across 13 states/UTs. During the campaigning, BJP attacked Congress and the INDIA bloc accusing it of corruption and appeasement. BJP came out heavily with the allegations that Congress aims to carry out 'wealth redistribution' and impose 'inheritance tax' on people. The Congress, on the other hand refuted the allegations and asked BJP if they will remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations (a promise which Congress has made in its manifesto). The INDIA bloc especially targeted the BJP over the 'obscene video' case of Prajwal Revanna, a suspended leader of BJP-ally JD-S. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were some of the major faces campaigning for the BJP, while Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge canvassed for the Congress party. As voters head to polls on May 7; several key names such as Home Minister Amit Shah, former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Samjawadi Party MP Dimple Yadav will be in the fray. Another interesting contest will be brewing in Baramti, where Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar will be battling it out for the Pawar legacy on a family stronghold. The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term to power, while the Opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut. (ANI)
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