New Delhi, May 19 (IANS): Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hailed the role played by women in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections not just as candidates but also as voters and said that their voices must be heard.

"Today is the seventh and last phase of polling. Our mothers and sisters have played a key role in these elections, not just as candidates, but also as committed voters whose voices must be heard. I salute them all," Gandhi tweeted, attaching a video supporting equal opportunities for women.

The video featured women, who talked about their progress and the progress of the country through equal opportunities lent to them. Asserting that they wanted new ideas, new leaders and a new politics, the women in the video said that they will decide the victory and loss in these elections.

At the end of the video, the women said that they wanted respect and justice and the Congress' NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) would give them both.

Polling began on Sunday morning for 59 Lok Sabha seats in the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections to decide the fate of 918 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to retain the Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh.