EC announces 9 phase Lok Sabha polls

Counting will take place on May 16; model code of conduct comes into effect immediately

The 16th Lok Sabha elections, the first in which None of the Above (NOTA) option in voting will be used around the country, will be held in nine phases from April 07 to May 12.

 

Counting of votes in all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on a single day on May 16. 

 

Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath announced the 9-phase schedule at a news conference on Wednesday morning where he was flanked by colleagues H S Brahma and S N A Zaidi.
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. ALSO SEE | CEC VS Sampath's address to the media  (FULL TEXT)
. Full Schedule of Lok Sabha Election 

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06 constituencies will go to the polls in the first phase on April 07. 

 

07 constituencies will vote in the second phase on April 09. 

 

Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath announces the dates for the Lok Sabha elections in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo / PTI

92 constituencies will vote in the third phase on April 10.

 

05 constituencies will vote in the fourth phase on April 12.

 

122 constituencies will vote in the fifth phase on April 17.

 

117 constituencies will vote in the sixth phase on April 24.

 

89 constituencies will vote in the seventh phase on April 30.

 

64 constituencies will vote in the eighth phase on May 07.

 

41 constituencies will vote in the ninth phase on May 12.

Calling it yet another milestone in the history of Indian democracy, the CEC appealed to the political parties and candidates to uphold the democratic traditions of the nation by maintaining high standards of political discourse and fair play in the course of their election campaigns. 

For the first time in parliamentary polls, a system of paper trail for electronic voting will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis.

 

The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new House has to be constituted by May 31.

Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in the states of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana region, Odisha and Sikkim.

Andhra Pradesh, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats, will go to polls on April 30 and May 7.

 

Elections in the respective assembly segments will be held simultaneously. The first day of polling on April 30 will cover 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats in the Telangana region and the second on May 7 will cover 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats in the Seemandhra region. 

Odisha (21 Lok Sabha seats) will have a two day polling on April 10 and 17 to elect 10 and 11 constituencies respectively. On the same days, assembly elections will be held on 70 and 77 assembly segments respectively.

 

The model code of conduct came into force as soon as the elections were announced.

 

Under the code, governments cannot do anything which may have the effect of influencing voters in favour of the party in power, and political parties and candidates are forbidden from indulging in any corrupt practices.

 

The 2009 polls were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13. 

 

An estimated 81.4 crore voters will be eligible to vote in the coming elections after 9.71 crore new voters have been added to the rolls since the last elections. 

 

From the coming elections, candidates in a parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Rs 70 lakh on their campaign, up from Rs 40 lakh in 2011. 

 

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, it was Rs 25 lakh.

Image courtesy: Election Commission website