New Delhi : Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar addresses a press conference on General Elections 2024, in New Delhi on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Photo: IANS/Qamar Sibtain)
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the schedule for the 543 parliamentary constituencies for 18th Lok Sabha elections, the biggest democratic exercise in the world involving 96.8 crore voters, including 21.5 crore young voters between age 18 to 29 years old.
The poll schedule for four state Assemblies - Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim - were also declared.
Besides this, bypolls to 26 Assembly seats will be held in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Tripura, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
With this, the Model Code of Conduct, as is the established norm, came into immediate effect.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, flanked by the two newly appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, said elections would be held in seven phases. In 2019, elections were also held in seven phases.
The Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held at 10.5 lakh polling stations from April 19 to June 1 and counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The first phase of polling will be conducted on April 19, the second phase will be held on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh and final phase will be held on June 1.
The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16.
There was also a great deal of popular anticipation as to whether polls for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly would be synchronised with the parliamentary election. That, however, has not happened, perhaps due to considerations relating to the security situation in the region.
The Supreme Court has directed that polls for the Union Territory of J&K have to be completed by September end.
Assembly elections in Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal & Andhra to be held alongside LS polls
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the Assembly elections to be held in four states -- Sikkim (32 seats), Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats), Andra Pradesh (175 seats), and Odisha (147 seats).
The results for all four states will be announced on June 4, the same day when the Lok Sabha poll results will also be declared.
While polling in the Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will take place on April 19, Andhra Pradesh will head to polls on May 13. Elections in Odisha will be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
The General Elections will be held in seven phases starting April 29.