Elections to the Lok Sabha, 3 state Assemblies and by-elections will be held simultaneously in 9 phases from 7 April to 12 May.
The Election Commission of India on Wednesday announced the schedule for elections to the 16th Lok Sabha and three state Assemblies in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said that elections to the Lok Sabha, three state Assemblies and by-elections will be held simultaneously in 9 phases from 7 April to 12 May. The counting of votes will happen on 16 May, and the results are expected to be announced the same day.
Simultaneous polling for the Lok Sabha and Assembly in Andhra Pradesh will be held in two phases, on 30 April and 7 May. The CEC said that the Appointed Day for the formation of Telangana would have no impact on the elections as the ECI is conducting polls based on the present boundaries. "Whoever gets elected as per the law will automatically become MLAs and MPs of those states after their formation," he said.
Polling in the Telangana region will be held on 30 April, while the Seemandhra region will go to polls on 7 May.
Six Lok Sabha seats in two states will go to polls on 7 April; 7 LS seats in 5 states on 9 April; 92 LS Seats in 14 states on 10 April; 5 LS in 3 states on 12 April; 122 LS in 13 states on 17 April; 117 LS seats in 12 states on 24 April; 89 LS seats in 9 states on 30 April; 64 LS seats in 7 states on 7 May; and 41 Lok Sabha seats in 3 states on 12 May.
The counting for all the seats - in the Lok Sabha, the state Assemblies and the by-elections - will be held on 16 May.
As many as 20 states will have polling in a single phase. They are:
Arunachal Pradesh - 9 April
Goa - 17 April
Gujarat - 30 April
Haryana - 10 April
Himachal Pradesh - 7 May
Karantaka - 17 April
Kerala - 10 April
Meghalaya - 9 April
Mizoram - 9 April
Nagaland - 9 April
Punjab - 30 April
Sikkim - 12 May
Tamil Nadu - 24 April
Andaman & Nicobar Island - 10 April
Chandigarh - 10 April
Dadra & Nagar Haveli - 30 April
Daman & Diu - 30 April
Lakshadeep - 10 April
Delhi - 10 April
Puducherry - 24 April
Some states will have polling in two phases. They are:
Andhra Pradesh - 30 April & 7 May
Manipur - 9 April & 17 April
Tripura - 7 April & 12 April
Rajasthan - 17 & 24 April
Odisha - 10 April & 17 April
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh will have polling in three to six phases.
The Chief Election Commissioner described the 16th general elections as yet another milestone in the history of Indian democracy. He said that the term of the 15th Lok Sabha would end on 1 June while the term of Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and would will end on 2 June, 7 June and 25 May, respectively.
He said the ECI held a series of preparatory meetings with recognised political parties, officials and other stakeholder,s seeking their cooperation in conducting free and fair elections. He said that factors like festivals and seasonal conditions were also taken into consideration while finalising the schedule.
Sampath said that there are 81.4 crore voters across the country, and that a special drive would be taken up on 9 March to enroll fresh voters or to facilitate voters to check missing names or carry out other corrections.
He said that the number of voters has increased by almost 10 crore compared to the general elections held in 2009.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with the NOTA ("None Of The Above") option would be used for the polling to be held in about 9.30 lakh polling stations across the country. The CEC said that the number of polling stations has increased by 12% compared to the last elections. This time, a photo voter slip has also been introduced. Currently, over 96% of voters have photo identity cards, and their number is likely to go up to 98-99%.
Sampath also said that the model code of conduct has been enforced with immediate effect. He added that the Election Commission would take special measures to check the expenditure by candidates and political parties. "Use of money power is a matter of concern for the Election Commission. Special emphasis is given to check the use of money power during the election process. Besides deployment of expenditure observers, check posts, flying squads and video surveillance will be done," he said.
The CEC appealed to voters to participate in large numbers, and asked parties and candidates to ensure a free and fair election. (INN)