All arrangements are in place for tomorrow’s polling for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections. 116 constituencies, spread over 13 States and two Union Territories, are going to polls in this phase.

Voting will take place for all 26 constituencies in Gujarat; all 20 in Kerala; 14 each in Maharashtra and Karnataka; 10 in Uttar Pradesh; seven in Chhattisgarh; six in Odisha; five each in Bihar and West Bengal; four in Assam; two in Goa; one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Tripura.

The political fate of several prominent leaders of various parties will be decided in this phase. BJP President Amit Shah, Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Sharad Yadav are among them.

In Gujarat, over 4 crore electorate will decide the fate of 371 candidates in fray for 26 Lok Sabha seats, and 45 candidates for by-poll in four Assembly seats.

In Uttar Pradesh, inter-state and inter-district borders have been sealed and intensive checking is underway for free and fair elections. There are 120 candidates, including 14 women, in the fray. Their political fate will be decided by more than 1 crore 76 lakh voters.

In Chhattisgarh, 123 candidates are testing their electoral fortunes from seven Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls tomorrow. In Kerala, 227 candidates, including 23 women, will fight it out for the 20 Lok Sabha seats.

Notification for the seventh and final phase is being issued today. As many as 59 seats, covering seven States and one Union Territory, will go to polls in this phase on the 19th of next month. Voting will be held in 13 seats each of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab; nine of West Bengal; eight seats each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh; four in Himachal Pradesh and three in Jharkhand. Nominations can be filed from today till the 29th of this month.

Today is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the fifth phase in which 51 seats will go to polls on the 6th of next month. Meanwhile, campaigning for the remaining phases is gaining momentum. Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing public meetings in Maharashtra and Rajasthan today. Addressing a rally at Nashik in Maharashtra, Mr Modi appealed people to vote for strong India. He said BJP has tried its best to take development to the doorstep of each and every person.

BJP President Amit Shah said the nationwide NRC will be implemented if his party comes back to power at the Centre. Addressing a press conference at Kolkata in West Bengal this morning, Mr Shah asserted that the Citizenship Amendment bill will be passed in the Rajya Sabha before taking up the NRC issue. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is campaigning in Uttar Pradesh today.