New Delhi: The Lok Sabha polls will be conducted in seven phases beginning the 19th of next month. The counting will take place on the 4th of June this year. The polling for the first phase in 102 Lok Sabha seats will be conducted on 19th April, the second phase for 89 seats on 26th April, the third phase will be held on 7th May for 94 seats, while 96 seats will go to poll in the fourth phase on 13th May. In the fifth phase 49 Parliamentary constituencies will go to poll on 20th May, while in the sixth phase, 57 seats will have voting on 25th May and the last and the seventh phase will be held on 1st June in 57 Lok Sabha seats.
The Election Commission today announced the poll schedule for the General Election 2024. With the announcement of the poll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct MCC has come into force. Announcing the schedule in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the ECI team is fully prepared for the biggest festival of Indian democracy. He said the country has 97 crore registered voters and over 10.5 lakh polling stations manned by 1.5 crore personnel. He added there will be 1.82 crore first-time voters in this election. Mr Kumar highlighted that the Commission is ready to facilitate vote from home for electors over 85 years of age and for persons with disabilities. He also said political parties will have to explain why they have fielded a candidate with serious criminal cases in the elections.
The CEC said the daunting challenges in conducting free and fair elections are muscle, money, misinformation, and MCC violations. He asserted that ECI has put in place measures to deal with these disruptive challenges. He also said drone-based checking will be done on polling day to check the use of muscle power. He underlined that there is no place for bloodbath and violence in the elections and the Commission will be ruthless if violence takes place anywhere during polls. Mr Kumar said the enforcement agencies have been directed to plug the inflow and distribution of liquor, cash, freebies and drugs. He added that the Commission has also asked the agencies to do strict vigil of online cash transfers. The CEC also highlighted that directions have been given to election machinery, and parties on waste management, minimum paper use and reducing carbon footprint for sustainable elections. The term of the current Lok Sabha is going to end on 16th June this year.
The CEC also announced poll schedules for Sikkim, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
