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Lok Sabha elections 2019 will begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday, kick-starting a mega electoral battle where the BJP will pitch for a re-election of the Modi government amid the Opposition's efforts for a united fight to unseat it.
Lok Sabha elections 2019: Top 10 points
- The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said.
- Assembly elections will also be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said.
- However, elections for Jammu and Kashmir assembly have been deferred, the EC said citing security reasons. The state has been under President's Rule after the ruling alliance between the BJP and Peoples Democratic Party fell apart last year.
- Polling for parliamentary and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal and Sikkim will be held in the first phase on April 11. Parliamentary and assembly polls will be held in Odisha across the first four phases.
- Twenty-two states and union territories (UTs), including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, will have Lok Sabha election in a single phase while it will be spread across seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
- Karnataka, Manipur, Rajasthan and Tripura will have Lok Sabha election in two phases, while Assam and Chhattisgarh will have three-phase polling.
- Four states -- Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha -- will have elections in four phases. Jammu and Kashmir will have five-phase voting.
- The Chief Election Commissioner said the model code of conduct would come into immediate effect from Sunday. Among other restrictions, the model code bars the government from announcing any policy move that may impact voters' decision.
- The EC said the 'voter verifiable paper audit trail' (VVPAT) will be used in all polling stations this time. Ten lakhs polling stations would be set up this time as against about nine lakhs in 2014. EVMs and postal ballots will carry pictures of candidates.
- In 2014, the BJP had won 282 seats handing a crushing defeat to the 10-year-rule of the United Progressive Alliance led by Congress.
"Best wishes to the Election Commission, all those officials and security personnel who will be on the field, across the length and breadth of India assuring smooth elections. India is very proud of the EC for assiduously organising elections for several years," Modi tweeted.
In the press briefing, Arora said all political advertisements on social media will need pre-certification and the candidates will have to give details of their social media accounts to the EC.
The CEC said 91 constituencies will go for polls in first phase, 97 in second phase, 115 in third phase, 71 in fourth, 51 in fifth, 59 in sixth and 59 in the seventh phase.
The election will pit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance against mostly different opposition groupings in various states, including of Congress, Left and regional forces who are continuing to work out a grand alliance to minimise a division of votes against the BJP.
The BJP has worked out a seat-sharing formula with some new allies and several old partners, by even making concessions in states such as Bihar, which has 40 seats. However, opposition parties are yet to do so in several states.
While the NDA hopes to make history by coming back to power for a second full term, the Opposition wants to unseat the Modi dispensation by raising questions on its performance on a host of issues, including economic growth, unemployment, corruption and social harmony.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee had led the NDA to back-to-back wins in 1998 and 1999 general elections but he was at the helm for only one full term.
After losing three state polls last year, the BJP believes its Lok Sabha campaign is back on track following decisions such as 10 per cent quota for the general category poor, money transfer to farmers and a populist budget.
What has injected further confidence into the NDA fold is the fronting of the nationalist plank in the poll campaign after the Indian Air Force's strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel.
The BJP has been citing 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads and the Balakot air strikes to assert that only a government headed by Modi will be capable of taking on Pakistan over terrorism.
Modi has launched an aggressive campaign accusing the opposition of coming together for the sole purpose of removing him when he is working to "remove poverty, corruption and terrorism".
He had led the NDA to a sweeping victory in 2014 as it won 336 seats, reducing the incumbent Congress to its lowest total of 44 seats.
In 2014, Lok Sabha polls were held in nine phases beginning April 7 and ending May 9. Votes were counted on May 16.
Over 1.5 crore Lok Sabha voters in 18-19 age group:
Over 1.5 crore electors in 18-19 year age group will be eligible to vote for the first time in the seven-phased Lok Sabha election beginning April 11 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling upon them to vote in record numbers.
These voters in the age group of 18-19 years constitute 1.66 per cent of the of the total electorate. All citizens who turned 18 on January 1 this year and registered as electors will get opportunity to cast their vote in upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
"The total electorate in the country as per finally published e-rolls in January 2019 is approximately 900 million compared to 814.5 million in 2014. This marks an increase of more than 84 million electors. Over 15 million electors are in 18-19 years age group. Electors in the age group of 18 to 19 years constitute 1.66 per cent of total electors," the Election Commission said on Sunday.
The Election Commission has allowed enrollment of transgender persons with gender written as "Others" in the electoral rolls since 2012. The number of electors enrolled as "others" gender is 38,325.
The poll panel said that parliament has amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950, allowing enrollment of Indian citizens living overseas as electors.
The number of overseas electors enrolled in the current electoral rolls is 71,735. "There are 1,677,386 service electors in the electoral rolls," it said.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in 1,035,918 polling stations across the country compared to 928,000 set up during the last Lok Sabha election in 2014.
Modi, in a tweet after the declaration of poll schedule, hoped for a record turnout.
"The festival of democracy, Elections are here. I urge my fellow Indians to enrich the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with their active participation. I hope this election witnesses a historic turnout. I particularly call upon first time voters to vote in record numbers," he said.
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(With inputs from agencies)
