New Delhi, May 12 (Reporter) Amid rising political temperatures, the fourth phase of the general election, covering 96 parliamentary constituencies (PCs) across 10 states and Union Territories (UTs), is set to begin on Monday morning. As many as 17.7 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase. "Polling for Phase 4 of the General Elections 2024 will be held on May 13, 2024, for 96 Parliamentary Constituencies (General-64; ST-12; SC-20) in 10 States/UTs. Voting begins at 7AM and ends at 6 PM (Closure of Poll timings may differ PC wise)," said the top poll body, the Election Commission of India (ECI), on Sunday. In the fourth phase of the election, the fate of 1717 candidates would be locked in EVMs (electronic voting machines). The average number of contesting candidates in a PC for the fourth phase is 18. No heat wave is forecast on the poll day, giving the ECI hope to record a relatively higher voter turnout. Along with the national election, 175 Legislative Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 Legislative Assembly seats in Odisha are also going to the polls in the fourth phase. In the fourth phase of the seven-phase election, all 25 parliamentary constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 17 in Telangana would go to the polls. As many as 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh would also go to polls. In Bihar, voting will take place in five seats. Among other key states, Maharashtra would see voting in 11 of its parliamentary constituencies tomorrow (May 13). The other states that would see voting on Monday include West Bengal (8 seats), Jharkhand (4 seats), Madhya Pradesh (8 seats), and Odisha (4 seats). One seat in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir would also go to polls. Among the hot seats going to the polls on Monday include Hyderabad, where AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi is being challenged by the BJP’s Maadhavi Latha. The other seats are Bharampur in West Bengal, where Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is facing a challenge from ex-cricketer and TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan, and Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is seeking election. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4, after the completion of the seventh phase of polls on June 1. The fifth phase of the election would take place on May 20, covering 49 Lok Sabha seats across 8 states and UTs. While both the ruling BJP and opposition parties led by Congress have been engaged in a high-decibel war of words, the election campaign has been becoming more intense with each passing day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP are seeking a third consecutive term in this election. The opposition parties led by Congress, on the other hand, are hoping to dislodge him from power...////...