Nine-phase Lok Sabha polls begin on April 7, counting on May
16
For the first time, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in nine phases — from April 7 to May 12. Announcing the poll schedule on Wednesday, the Election Commisson of India said counting of votes will be done on May 16 and the results will be announced on the same day.
Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in the
states of Andhra Pradesh, including the Telangana region, Orissa and Sikkim.
While a bulk of the polling — in as many as 525 constituencies
— will take place on six days, only 18 constituencies will vote on the
remaining three polling days. The maximum number of constituencies (122 across
13 states) will vote on April 17, followed by 117 constituencies across 12
states on April 24.
The total number of days for the entire electoral process
has been brought down from 75 days in 2009 to 72 days this time.
For the first time, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in nine phases — from April 7 to May 12. Announcing the poll schedule on Wednesday, the Election Commisson of India said counting of votes will be done on May 16 and the results will be announced on the same day.
Most of the constituencies in the Naxal-affected states of
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar will vote on April 10, April 17 and
April 24. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, polling will be held on six days. In West
Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir (which has only six constituencies), polling
will be held on five days.
EC officials said various factors like school examinations,
holidays, festivals (mainly Bihu in Assam), harvest season in some parts of the
country and the weather forecast, particularly about monsoon, had to be taken
into consideration.
STATE-WISE LIST OF
ELECTION DATES
- Arunachal Pradesh: April 9
- Assam: April 7, 12 and 24
- Bihar: April 10, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and 12
- Chhattisgarh: April 10, 17, 24
- Goa: April 17
- Gujarat: April 30
- Haryana: April 10
- Himachal Pradesh: May 7
- J&K: April 10, 17, 24, 30, may 7
- Jharkhand: April 10, 17, 24
- Karnataka: April 17
- Kerala: April 10
- MP: April 10, 17, 24
- Maharashtra: April 10, 17 24
- Manipur: April 9, 17
- Meghalaya: April 9
- Mizoram: April 9
- Nagaland: April 9
- Odisha: April 10, 17
- Punjab: April 30
- Rajasthan: April 17, 24
- Sikkim: April 12
- Tamil Nadu: April 24
- Tripura: April 7 and 12
- Uttar Pradesh: April 10, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and 12
- Uttarkhand: May 7
- West Bengal: April 17, 24, 30, May 7, 12
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands: April 10
- Chandigarh: April 12
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli: April 12
- Daman and Diu: April 30
- Lakshwadeep: April 10
- Puducherry: April 24
