GURDASPUR: Congress Lok Sabha candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from the Gurdaspur constituency arrived with his family at the designated polling station to cast their votes in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Praising the people of Gurdaspur, Randhawa remarked, “The public here is sensible and needs a strong leader who will advocate for them and for Punjab as a whole. They don’t vote based on party lines; they vote for the candidate who will work for them. They need someone who will address their issues in Parliament with urgency.”
When asked about the INDIA alliance’s chances, Randhawa said, “The public will reveal on June 4 what the INDIA alliance stands for.”
The Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency is unreserved. Congress has fielded Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, while BJP’s candidate is Dinesh Singh, and Amansher Singh from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting for his first term from this seat.
Gurdaspur has a history of being linked to celebrities, with the late Vinod Khanna having represented it. In 2019, BJP candidate and actor Sunny Deol won the seat with a margin of 82,459 votes, securing 558,719 votes, while Sunil Jakhar of the INC received 476,260 votes. The voter turnout was 69.36%.
The seventh phase concludes the world’s largest polling marathon, which began on April 19 and covered six phases and 486 Lok Sabha seats. Voting in the final 57 parliamentary constituencies began at 7 am today across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
According to the Election Commission of India, over 10.06 crore electors, including approximately 5.24 crore male, 4.82 crore female, and 3,574 third-gender electors, are expected to vote. Polling is scheduled in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Additionally, voting for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha will take place simultaneously.
A total of 904 candidates are contesting in this final phase. Prominent candidates include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nishikant Dubey, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Charanjit Singh Channi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti.
Polling for the earlier six phases of Lok Sabha elections was held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, and May 25. Assembly polls have also been held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Odisha is holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and its state assembly in the last four phases.
