(Image source from: India General Elections 2014: Top 10 facts about 3rd phase of polling})

Voting has started for 91 Lok sabha constituencies across 11 states and three Union Territories in the country. The third phase of polling will see millions of Indians voting today to elect their representatives for the 16th Lok Sabha.

Beginning on April 7, the nine-phase Lok Sabha elections will conclude on May 12. Counting of votes will take place on May 16. Key facts about today's polling as as follows.

1. Delhi is voting for all its seven constituencies. The other constituencies that are voting today are Kerala for all its 20 seats, 10 each in UP, Haryana, Odisha and Maharashtra, nine in Madhya Pradesh, six in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Lakshwadeep, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Jammu and Kashmir.

2. Delhi will witness a three-cornered battle between the Congress, BJP and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Over 12 million people in Delhi are expected to cast their vote.

3. Riot-affected Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh is voting under heavy security. Almost 10,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent any law and order situation. Voters have been given "confidence slips" that has an emergency phone numbers to dial if trouble arises. Security officials say that warnings have been issued to almost 42,000 people in the district and 4,000 of them were given orders to stay indoor except for voting.

4. Chhattisgarh's Bastar constituency has been secured for polling. Heavy security has been provided to the constituency as it's one of India's worst Maoist insurgency-hit regions. Over
80 % of the polling booths were declared to be sensitive.

5. Several top leader in the country will be contesting from their respective constituencies in today's polling. These leaders include union ministers Kapil Sibal, Kamal Nath and Ajit Singh and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari.

6. Prominent leaders of the AAP are also in the poll fray today. Aap leaders like Yogendra Yadav, Ashutosh and Shazia Ilmi will be debuting in the national election.

7. In Bihar a landmine blast between Jamui and Munger killed two paramilitary jawans while four others were injured. Voting is being held in Jamui today.

8. Congress-led-UPA is predicted to get a major poll drubbing by opinion polls. The incumbent government is being blamed for the skyrocketing prices, economic slowdown, several corruption scams during its its 10-year rule.

9. Opinion polls predict a BJP-led government and Narendra Modi is tipped to be the next prime minister of the country.

10. BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is contesting election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and his home state Vadodara in Gujarat. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, viewed as the Congress' PM candidate, is contesting the general elections from Amethi in UP.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)