By IANS,
New Delhi : Campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2009 came to an end Tuesday in 15 states and two union territories, which go to the polls Thursday.
A total of 1,715 candidates, including 122 women, are in the fray for 124 seats in the first of the five-phased election.
According to the Election Commission, as many as 14.31 crore people are eligible to vote in the first phase.
The poll panel has designated 23,000 villages and hamlets as “vulnerable”. A staff of 900,000 would oversee poll arrangements.
The states going to the polls are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Mahrashtra, Manipur, Meghalya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
The two union territories are Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.