The Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday announced the upcoming Lok Sabha election dates. According to the EC’s announcement, polling for 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be conducted in seven phases, between April 19 and June 1, followed by counting of votes on June 4.
Phase I will be held on April 19, Phase II on April 26, Phase III on May 7, Phase IV on May 13, Phase V on May 20, Phase VI on May 25, and Phase VII on June 1.
Here is a breakup of the phases
Phase 1: Elections will be held on April 19 in 102 constituencies. This will be held in 21 States and Union Territories.
Phase 2: Elections will be held on April 26 in 89 constituencies. Second phase will cover 12 States and Union Territories.
Phase 3: Elections will be held on May 7 in 94 constituencies. The third phase will cover 12 States and Union Territories.
Phase 4: Elections will be held on May 13 in 96 constituencies. Fourth phase will cover 10 States and Union Territories.
Phase 5: Elections will be held on May 20 in 49 constituencies. The fifth phase will cover 8 States and Union Territories.
Phase 6: Elections will be held on May 25 in 57 constituencies. The sixth phase will cover 7 States and Union territories.
Phase 7: Elections will be held on June 1 in 57 constituencies. The seventh phase will cover 8 States and Union Territories.
The model code of conduct has come into force starting the evening of March 16 and will remain in force even after the polling on June 1 till the entire process of counting is completed on June 4.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases between April 11 to May 19, while the 2014 general elections were held in nine phases. Around 1 million polling booths were set up across the country, up from 90,000 in 2014, to enable 912 million people eligible to vote. The voter turnout was over 67 per cent. The last general elections saw the highest women participation in voting so far and recorded the highest voter turnout.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 16, 2024
CEC Rajiv Kumar said that strict directions have been given to Distric Magistrates and SPs to ensure level playing field. CAPF to be deployed adequately & assisted by Integrated control rooms in each district. Check posts & drones to ensure vigil.
Watch: Lok Sabha elections 2024 dates, full schedule phase wise
He further mentioned that the poll body is sensitive to environmentally sustainable elections.
“We are making efforts to minimise single-use plastic and encourage eco-friendly practices in the election process,” he said.
CEC Kumar informed that to curb the flow of illicit money, the poll body has held extensive reviews with enforcement agencies.
“Cash movement worth around Rs 3,400 crore was restricted in the last 11 state assembly elections in Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Tripura,” CEC Kumar said.
“Measures like ESMs portal, and coordination between agencies resulted in an exponential increase in seizures in the last 11 elections,” he added.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that there is no place for bloodbath and violence in the elections.
“From wherever we will receive the information of violence, we will take action against them,” he said.
The Election Commission also announced that the by-polls in 26 constituencies and four state Assemblies will take place simultaneously with the Parliament elections. This means the dates for the by-polls and the four state Assembly elections in Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh will be done simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polling.
(With inputs from PTI)
First Published: Mar 16 2024 | 4:08 PM IST
