New Delhi: The Election Commission announced the schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha elections on Saturday. With the announcement the battleground is set in which political parties will lock horns and try to win as many Lok Sabha seats as possible to decide who will sit on the Prime Minister Chair. The elections will be held in seven phases just like the precious general elections which were held in 2019. Notably, world’s largest democratic exercise will extend into the peak summer month of June for the second time. As per EC, the voting for the first phase will be held on April 19 and the second phase on April 26. The polling for the rest of the phases will be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, respectively.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Second-Longest
The 44-day election period also make this term’s Lok Sabha elections the second-longest after the first Parliamentary elections held in 1951-52. Notably, the entire election process since its announcement to results will lasts 82 days.
This extended process has been caused by various factors, including a six-day delay in announcing the polls compared to 2019, The Indian Express reported.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Why Announcement Was Delayed
The delay happened because of the two vacancies in the three-member poll panel which also followed the sudden resignation of Arun Goel, as per reports. Anup Chandra Pandey had already retired on February 14.
Considering the importance of the General elections, it was decided to have the full Commission in place, reported Express quoting a senior officer. Because of this decision the Commission waited until the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu on March 14 and taking charge on March 15.
However, the second reason might be consecutive festivals like – Holi, Tamil New Year, Bihu, and Baisakhi in the months of March and April.
“There are many factors that contribute to drafting an election schedule. For instance, security forces require at least six days for inter-state movement and redeployment between two election phases. If there’s a festival in between, we must ensure that crucial days such as nomination, the last date of withdrawal, or even polling day do not coincide with it, as it could disrupt the entire process,” the report quoted an official as saying.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
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