LIVE | Lok Sabha polls in 7 phases from April 19; counting on June 4
Other phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, June 1. Assembly polls in Arunachal and Sikkim on April 19, Andhra May 13, Odisha May 13, May 20, May 25, June 1
Watch the EC's press conference on The Federal's YouTube channel:
Elections to Odisha Assembly will be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
As many as 22 states and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, and Uttarakhand will have polls on a single day.
Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tripura, and Manipur will have polls in two phases, while Chhattisgarh and Assam will have three poll dates. Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand will have the polls over four days, while Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir will have the polls in five phases. Three states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal will have the polls in seven phases.
Major parties, including the BJP and the Congress, have already announced lists of candidates for the polls.
Opinion polls predict the BJP-led NDA government to return to power, securing yet again an absolute majority in the lower house by winning over 350 of the 543 seats. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is expected to win 90-odd seats.
In the 2019 polls, the NDA won 303 seats while the Congress could only muster 52 seats.
To read The Federal's extensive survey-related articles and watch the panel discussions, click here.
For constituency-wise details of the 2019 elections, read The Federal's interactive story here.
Live Updates
- 17 March 2024 8:36 AM IST
Number of voters in AP rises to 4.09 cr from 4.07 cr recorded on Jan 22
The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh as of March 16 is 4.09 crore, an increase from 4.07 crore recorded on January 22, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena said on Saturday.
The total voters include two crore men, 2.08 crore women and 3,346 of the third-gender, he said at a press conference.
Andhra Pradesh will witness simultaneous legislative assembly and general elections on May 13.
He said data on polling stations in the state will be sent to the commission. Currently, there are 46,165 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh, Meena said.
The CEO said that 179 women-managed and 50 youth election officers-managed polling stations have been proposed to be set up. Some will be managed by specially-abled personnel, he said.
Of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, four are reserved for scheduled castes (SC) and one for scheduled tribes (ST), Meena said. He added that 29 assembly constituencies are reserved for SC and seven for ST.
- 17 March 2024 8:35 AM IST
9.2 crore persons eligible to cast vote for 48 LS seats in Maharashtra
A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, an increase of 34 lakh from 2019, according to a senior state Election Commission official.
The Lok Sabha polls for the 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4.
According to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam, there are 4,78,50,789 male and 4,41,74,722 female voters in the state as of March 15. The state has 5,559 transgender voters.
The number of voters has increased by 34,69,534 since 2019, he said.
There are 1,78,84,862 voters in the age group of 18 to 29 years.
Maharashtra has 13,15,166 eligible voters aged over 85 years, including 52,908 over 100.
The state has 97,325 polling centres, the official said.
- 17 March 2024 8:33 AM IST
4.92 crore electors, including 11.32L first-time voters in Gujarat
As many as 4.92 crore persons, including 11.32 lakh first-timers and 10,322 centenarians, will be eligible to exercise their franchise for the 26 seats in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha elections, a senior Election Commission official has said.
Elections to all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7, with the nomination process beginning on April 12, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi said on Saturday.
Of the total registered voters, 2.54 crore are men and 2.39 crore are women. The state has 1,503 transgender voters, Bharathi said.
“The number of voters for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat has increased by 43,23,789 compared to the 2019 elections. A total 4,94,49,469 voters are registered as per the final electoral roll published on January 5, 2024,” Bharathi told mediapersons.
- 17 March 2024 7:21 AM IST
Who's the EC trying to help?: Shiv Sena (UBT)
#WATCH | On Lok Sabha election dates announced by the ECI, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey says, "... The elections will go on tile 1st June and the result will be announced on 4th June. Counting the days from today. this makes it almost 2.5 months. Who is the EC trying… pic.twitter.com/l3tg1ftA7f
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024 - 17 March 2024 7:18 AM IST
#WATCH | Bhubaneswar: On the schedule of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections announced by the ECI, Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha Nikunja Bihari Dhal says, "As per the schedule, the elections to the Lok Sabha and Odisha Legislative Assembly will be conducted simultaneously on… pic.twitter.com/EBxvYSojwx
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024 - 17 March 2024 7:16 AM IST
#WATCH | On J&K Assembly Elections not being held simultaneously with Lok Sabha Elections, CPI (M) Leader MY Tarigami says, "... Nearly all political parties raised this issue that why is J&K being kept away from the world's largest democracy? The answer given by the ECI gave us… pic.twitter.com/985HJdmjFt
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024 - 17 March 2024 7:14 AM IST
#WATCH | Badaun, Uttar Pradesh: Posters of political parties being removed after the schedule of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was announced by the ECI and the Model Code of Conduct was implemented. pic.twitter.com/ijy0E0OQSd
— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2024
