Curated By: News Desk
Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee
News18.com
Last Updated: March 16, 2024, 18:14 IST
New Delhi, India
CEC of India Rajiv Kumar with the newly appointed ECs Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi. (Image: PTI)
India will vote to elect representatives from 543 constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections from April 19 to June 1. The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the schedule for the polls, which will be held in seven phases like last time, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4. With the announcement of the dates, the moral code of conduct comes into force.
The poll body also announced assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha and bypolls in 26 assembly segments. At least 97 crore people are eligible to cast their vote this time at more than 10.5 lakh polling stations.
Last time, the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and held in seven phases beginning April 11. Votes were counted on May 23.
The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 16 and a new House has to be constituted before that. The term of the assemblies is coming to an end on various dates in June.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had won 303 seats while the Congress got 52 seats. It could not muster enough numbers to claim the position of leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. The 2024 polls are being seen as a do-or-die battle for the opposition INDIA bloc.
The elections will be held in seven phases, with first on April 19, second on April 26, third on May 7, fourth on May 13, fifth on May 20, sixth on May 25 and seventh on June 1.
Polling in single phase: Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Puducherry, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
Polling in 2 phases: Karnataka, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura
Polling in 3 phases: Assam, Chhattisgarh
Polling in 4 phases: Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha
Polling in 5 phases: Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir
Polling in 7 phases: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Here are the key highlights from chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s speech:
