New Delhi: In all likelihood, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the schedule for the upcoming parliamentary elections on March 13-14.
As such, the model code of conduct (MCC) will come into effect after the ECI makes the announcement. ECI teams have so far visited several states and held meetings with the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to take stock of the poll preparedness there.
The ECI officials are currently visiting Tamil Nadu, where they are taking a detailed view of the election related preparations by the state machinery. In the coming week, the ECI will visit Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The full Commission would visit Jammu and Kashmir on March 11-12 to assess the poll preparedness and the security scenario there.
J&K is last on ECI’s schedule to visit different states for taking a first-hand view of the situation and issue necessary directions. It is thus believed that the Commission would announce the poll schedule soon after its return from J&K.
It may be recalled that the schedule for the seven-phase 2019 Lok Sabha elections was announced on March 10, while the dates for the nine-phase 2014 parliamentary polls had been announced on March 5.
Nearly 97 crore Indians will be eligible to vote in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. The electoral rolls were published in all the states/UTs across the country in early February after the months-long intensive Special Summary Revision 2024.
Several states such as Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
For the previous 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the ECI declared dates on March 10 that year. The polling to elect representatives to the 543-seat Lok Sabha was held across seven phases, between April 11 and May 19 (both dates included). The counting of votes and result declaration took place on May 23.
Additionally, in 2019, around 912 million (91.2 crore) people were eligible to vote, of whom more than 67% exercised their right to franchise. This year, around 970 million (97 crore) people are eligible to poll, as per ECI data.
Also, states such as Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim, will hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.