Mumbai, May 4 (IANS): As many as 258 candidates are in the fray for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections at 11 constituencies in Maharashtra scheduled for May 7, a top poll official said on Friday.

The voting will take place in 23,036 polling centres as 2,09,92,616 people will exercise their voting rights.

The polling will take place in Raigad, Baramati, Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale.

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chockalingam, said that all arrangements have been made for ensuring free and fair polling in these Lok Sabha seats.

He added that special booth-wise teams have been established to spread awareness among the people so that there will be a higher voting percentage.

Amid the controversy over the delay in the release of final voter turnout data by the Election Commission of India (EC) for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls, Chockalingam defended the poll panel's move, saying that there has been a difference between the assessment and the final data.

He further said that whatever the EC has done it has been as per the prescribed norms.

In Maharashtra, 62.71 per cent of voting was reported in the second phase of elections that took place on April 26 in Buldhana, Akola, Amaravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani.

Chockalingam added that there are a total of 298 candidates who are in the fray during the fourth phase of elections that will be held in 11 constituencies comprising Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi and Beed.

The polling will take place on May 13.

As many as 2,28,01,151 people from these constituencies will exercise their voting rights.

As far as the fifth phase of elections in 13 constituencies, 173 candidates are in the fray.

The polling will take place on May 20 in these 13 seats comprising Dhule, Dindoshi, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central and Mumbai South.