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Shrill campaign for 1st phase ends on Friday

A slanderous and at times violent electioneering to fill 145 seats in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls across ten states and six Union territories will come to a close on Friday evening.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union Home Minister L K Advani, Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam and former finance ministers Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram are among those in the fray.

As many as 162.21 million voters will decide the fate of 1,068 candidates in Andhra Pradesh (11 seats), Goa (2), Gujarat (26), Haryana (10), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Karnataka (15), Maharashtra (24), Punjab (13), Rajasthan (10), Tamil Nadu (19), Delhi (7) and Union territories -- Chandigarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu and Pondicherry (one each).

Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana and Goa and the five Union territories will be through with balloting on September 5.

Assembly elections to 115 seats in Karnataka, 144 in Maharashtra and 84 in Andhra Pradesh will also be held on September 5. Electronic voting machines will be used for the first time in 46 parliamentary constituencies in 17 states and Union territories in the five-phased election. Counting of votes will be taken up on October 6 and the process will be completed by October 10.

The second phase of polling is scheduled for September 11.

UNI

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