Lok Sabha polls from April 11 to May 19

Prelims level : Parliament Mains level : GS - II
No Set Found with this ID

Elections to the 17th Lok Sabha will be conducted in seven phases across the country from April 11 to May 19. The counting of votes will be on May 23. The Model Code of Conduct came into effect immediately on the announcement of the schedule, with the Election Commission introducing fresh measures to enhance the integrity of the electoral process and raise the accountability of campaigners.

Voting across the country would be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.

The Assembly election in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha will be conducted simultaneously with the Lok Sabha

The election in 22 States and Union Territories will be conducted in a single phase. Two-phase elections are in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Manipur and Tripura, while Assam and Chhattisgarh will have three phases. Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha will be covered in four phases, Jammu and Kashmir in five, and Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in seven phases. In Anantnag, the election will he held in three rounds.

According to CEC 91 constituencies would go to the polls in the first phase, 97 in the second phase, 115 in the third phase, 71 in the fourth, 51 in the fifth, and 59 each in the sixth and seventh phases.

As on January 1, about 900 million people were eligible to vote, as per the electoral rolls, compared with 814.5 million in 2014. Among them are a sizable number of those born at the turn of the millennium. Over 15 million fall in the 18-19 years age group. While 71,735 overseas electors have been enrolled, more than 16.77 lakh are service electors.

10% more

There would be more than 10.35 lakh polling stations, 10% higher than in 2014. The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, a total of 17.4 lakh units, will be used for the first time at all stations. He said the standard operating procedure for the security of EVMs and VVPATs had been revised to ensure that their end-to-end movement was monitored through the GPS-fitted transport vehicles.

Election Commission of India

  • Election Commission of India is a permanent body entrusted for the conduct of free and fair elections.
  • An independent Election Commission has been provided for in Article 324of the Constitution of India.
  • Currently has three members including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
  • They all are appointed by the President for a term which is fixed by the President.

Tenure: 

The service conditions and tenure of office of CEC and Election Commissioners are determined by Act of parliament titled The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Act, 1991. This act has fixed their term for 6 years or till age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Power/salary: 

The CEC and election commissioners have equal power and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites, which are similar to judge of Supreme Court. In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner, the matter is decided by the Commission by majority.

One of the most important functions of the election commission is to prepare an up-to-date list of all the persons who are entitled to vote at the elections.

Election Commission is entrusted with :

  • Election of President;
  • Election of Vice-President;
  • Election of Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha;
  • Elections to State Legislatures as well as Legislative Councils;
  • Reservation of Seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislatures;
  • Qualifications of the MPs and MLAs;
  • Determination of population for purposes of the election.
Share Socially