【New Delhi】Polling to elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha will be held from April 7 to May 12 spread over nine days in the highest number of polling days so far involving an electorate of 81.4 crore, the Election Commission announced today.
There will be a three-phase polling in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and two-phase voting in Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tripura. All the remaining States and the Union Territories will have single-day polling.
Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in the states of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana region, Odisha and Sikkim.
The last general elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the united Andhra Pradesh will be held in two phases on April 30 and May 7. In the first phase, elections will be held to 17 parliamentary and 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana region on April 30 and in the second phase, 25 parliamentary constituencies and 175 Assembly constituencies will go to polls on May 7.
Counting of votes in all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on a single day on May 16. Nearly 96 per cent of the voters have already been given the Elector's Photo Identity Card. For the first time in a general election, Electronic Voting Machines will provide an option for voters to press the 'none of the above' (NOTA) button if they do not wish to vote for any candidate. The option was implemented in the Delhi Assembly elections in December last.
○Model Code of Conduct comes into effect
With the announcement of poll dates, the model code of conduct, which prohibits the Government from taking any policy decisions that can influence the decision of a voter, comes into effect. However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced several sops and laid foundation stones of many development projects -- barely 30 minutes before the Election Commission came out with the election dates.
○Activist urges not to hold elections in Goa on April 17
【PANAJI】Activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues on Wednesday petitioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) not to hold Lok Sabha election in Goa on April 17 as it is Maundy Thursday.
The Maundy Thursday, a day which precedes Good Friday is as significant as Good Friday for Catholic community as they fast and pray at the Church throughout the day. Goa has around 26 per cent of Catholic population, he pointed out. There are two Parliamentary seats in Goa.
【News source】
Lok Sabha polls from April 7, vote count May 16
Schedule set for Lok Sabha poll battle
Nine days, five weeks — India votes between April 7 and May 12
Telangana will go to polls on April 30, Seemandhra May 7
Akhilesh lays foundations to beat poll panel
Activist urges not to hold elections in Goa on April 17
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