Amid the ongoing phase 3 of the Lok Sabha elections in 93 constituencies, a voter identified as Ankit Soni who lost both his hands 20 years ago, cast his vote through his foot at a polling booth in Gujarat’s Nadiad.
In a statement to the news agency ANI, Soni after voting appealed to others to come out of their homes and vote.
“I lost both my hands due to an electric shock 20 years ago. With the blessings of my teachers and guru, I did my graduation, from CS... I appeal to people to come out and vote, " said Soni.
Watch the video here:
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other leaders also cast their votes.
The states and union territories where the elections are being held in this phase are Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10) and West Bengal (4). The BJP has bagged the Surat seat unopposed.
In this phase, more than 1300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray.
A total of 17.24 crore voters are eligible to cast their franchise in this phase at 1.85 lakh polling stations. In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 72 of the 93 seats that go to the polls today.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term in power, while the opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut.