Polling in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is likely to commence from second week of April and may be spread across seven phases, Election Commission sources said.
The poll schedule is set to be announced early this week, the sources added.
The polling can begin between April 7 and 10 and the details are being fine-tuned. The EC is in talks with the Ministry of Home, state governments and Chief Electoral Officers of the states and the election schedule is expected to be announced next week, sources noted.
The Model Code of Conduct for the governments and political parties will come into effect from the date of announcement.
The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new House has to be constituted by May 31.
Along with the Lok Sabha polls, Andhra Pradesh, including the regions comprising the newly-carved out Telangana, Odisha and Sikkim will go to the polls to elect new Assemblies. As per sources, in the first phase, polling is expected to be held in some of the naxal-hit and North-East states.
This will be the first general elections where a paper trail system for the EVMs will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis.
To curb the political parties from making false promises to voters before the elections, the Election Commission has also issued guidelines asking them to explain the rationale behind financing the promises they make in the election manifestos.