Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Poll Dates Announced, Voting to Commence from April 19 in 7 Phases

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Rajiv Kumar, announced on Saturday, March 16, that the Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases across the country, starting from April 19. The results of the elections are slated to be declared on June 4.

Approximately 96.8 crore eligible voters will have the opportunity to exercise their franchise across 543 constituencies, spanning over 10.5 lakh polling stations nationwide. Notably, this election will witness the participation of 1.89 crore first-time voters, including 85 lakh women.

The term of the incumbent 17th Lok Sabha is set to conclude on June 16. With the declaration of the poll dates, the Election Commission has initiated the implementation of the election Model Code of Conduct (MCC) with immediate effect.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, polling was conducted in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, with the results announced on May 23, 2019. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a resounding victory with 303 seats out of the 543-member Lok Sabha.

As the BJP gears up for the upcoming elections, PM Modi aims for a historic third term in office, setting ambitious targets of 370 seats for the party and 400+ seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Facing formidable opposition, including the newly formed INDIA bloc comprising several opposition parties, the BJP has released two lists of 265 candidates, while the Congress has announced names for at least 82 candidates across two lists.

Additionally, the Election Commission announced the schedule for Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim, as well as byelections for 26 assembly seats. These announcements followed the appointment of two new election commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, who assumed their roles after being appointed by a selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.