Campaigning ends for last phase of Lok Sabha polls

New Delhi: Campaigning for the last phase of the staggered Lok Sabha elections spread over more than a month drew to a close Friday as top leaders sought to muster a final show of strength in the contest for 59 seats with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among those in the fray.

Polling will be held on Sunday in the seventh phase in all 13 seats in Punjab, as many seats in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight seats each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and the lone seat Chandigarh.

Electioneering also drew to a close for the bypoll in Panaji, necessitated due to the death of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar in March.

In a first, campaigning in West Bengal came to an end 20 hours before the scheduled time on the orders of the Election Commission.

The poll body had Wednesday ordered campaigning in West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC in Kolkata during Amit Shah's roadshow.

Adequate security arrangements have been made to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections, officials said.