When do you vote? Election Commission to announce Lok Sabha poll dates today
Election Commission is set to announce dates from the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, with a press conference scheduled for 3:30 pm. The poll body is also likely to announce the dates to polls for four state assemblies.
This year's Lok Sabha elections could see voting take place over six or seven phases, likely starting in late April, with the results likely to be announced a month later, in May. The polls to elect the 18th Lok Sabha will see nearly 97 crore eligible voters exercise their franchise in over 12 lakh polling stations.
April's elections will replace the Lok Sabha, whose term is ending on June 16, while state polls will see voting in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Terms for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are ending on June 11 and June 24, while both the Arunachal and Sikkim assemblies will see theirs end on June 2.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are eyeing a third straight term, with the Opposition looking more and more likely to self-combust. A third term for the saffron juggernaut will see Modi equal India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s record.
Five years ago, the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 were announced on March 10 and were staggered over seven phases from April 11. The results were declared on May 23.
Saturday's election announcement is taking place a day after the Election Commission was restored to its usual strength of three members with two new election commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, taking charge on
