New Delhi, March 9
The Union Cabinet today accommodated the Tripura Government’s request to have the polls in the state on April 22 thus recommending Lok Sabha polls in five phases instead of four as earlier proposed by the Election Commission.

The schedule for the elections has been approved by the Union Cabinet and its recommendations to have the polls on April 20, 22, 26 and May 5 and May 10 have been sent to President A P J Abdul Kalam for him to issue notification, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

Originally the dates proposed by the commission were April 20, 26, May 5 and May 10.

Later the Tripura Government had written to the Commission seeking a change of poll date in the state from April 20 on account of tribal festival ‘Baba Gariyapuja’ on that day. The commission then proposed that elections in Tripura be held on April 22.