The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the dates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections. The elections will be held in seven phases starting from April 19 to June 1, informed Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Rajiv Kumar at a press conference in New Delhi.
The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The first phase of general elections to be held on April 19 will cover a total of twenty-one states and union territories. The polls will be completed for ten states and union territories on the first day.
The second phase to be held on April 26 will have a total of 13 states and UTs including Tripura and Manipur. Four states will complete their polls on this day.
The third phase will have 12 states go to polls, with elections getting over in six states.
Ten states will go to the polls in the fourth phase and eight states will be covered in phase 5. The sixth phase will see seven states go to the polls. Eight states will complete their elections in the last phase.
The election commission also announced that the assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on April 19, and in Andhra Pradesh on May 13.
Elections to Odisha assembly will be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
Bypolls will also be held for 26 assembly constituencies, CEC said in the presence of the two newly appointed election commissioners.
Since the inception of the Election Commission of India in January 25, 1950, the electoral body has conducted 17 general elections. The poll body is now all gearing upto hold the Loksabha elections 2024, which will happen in April 19 2024.
Since the first general elections, a lot has changed in the country. The country, its technology and electorate has evolved over time.
Being the biggest democracy in the world, the electoral procedure of India is considered as the standard by many countries.