Notification issued for fifth and last phase of LS polls

Electoral process for the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha polls covering 86 constituencies spread over nine States and Union Territories began with president Pratibha Patil issuing a notification on Friday.

In the final phase, elections would be held on May 13 for 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, nine in Punjab, five in Uttarakhand, four seats in
Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, one each in Chandigarh and Puducherry.

The filing of nominations, commencing from Friday with the issuance of notification, would end on April 24. The final phase will decide the electoral fortunes of several Union Ministers including P Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. All the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry will have a single phase polling on May 13.

Other prominent contestants figuring in the last phase include Varun Gandhi (Pilibhit), his mother Maneka Gandhi (Aonla), cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin (Moradabad) and
Jayaprada (Rampur) -- all in Uttar Pradesh. The counting of votes would take place on May 16.