By IANS,
New Delhi : The staggered 15th Lok Sabha elections begin Thursday. Here are some facts about the first of the five phases of the polls in which 17 states and union territories will elect representatives to the parliament:
Total number of parliamentary constituencies: 124
States/union territories going to polls: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Maghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Total electorate: 143.1 million
Total number of candidates: 1,715
Total number of women candidates: 122
Parliamentary seats with maximum candidates: Andhra Pradesh (Mahboobnagar – 32 candidates), Chattisgarh (Raipur – 32).
Parliamentary seats with largest number of woman candidates: Andhra Pradesh (Mehboobnagar – five candidates), Chattisgarh (Raipur – five candidates)
Party-wise list of candidates:
Bharatiya Janata Party – 102
Bhujan Samaj Party – 111
Communist Party of India-Marxist – 23
Congress – 111
Nationalist Congress Party – 14
Communist Party of India – 15
Rashtriya Janata Dal – 18
Other state parties – 136
Independents and others – 1,185
Polling stations: 185,552
Polling staff: 900,000
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs): 300,166
Vulnerable villages/hamlets: 23,000