INDIA VOTES 2024: 7-phase Lok Sabha polls from April 19

Results of Parl, four state Assembly polls on June 4, model code comes into effect | Punjab, Himachal, UT vote on June 1; bypoll to 6 HP Assembly seats same day | Polling in Haryana, Delhi on May 25, spread over 5 phases in J&K from April 19

Animesh Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 16

The poll bugle was sounded on Saturday as the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha polls in seven phases from April 19 to June 1 with the counting of votes to take place on June 4.

The elections are crucial for the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which has been relegated to the margins after heavy electoral losses in 2014 and 2019. It aims to match the BJP-led NDA behemoth, which will be eyeing its third straight victory in 2024, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi having set the target of 400-plus seats.

• 96.8 cr voters | 49.7 cr male | 47.1 cr female
• over 10.5 lakh polling stations | 1.5 cr election staff | 55 lakh EVMs

Number of Women voters on the rise

• The gender ratio has risen from 928 in 2019 Lok Sabha poll to 948 in 2024
• 12 states have more female voters than male (voter gender ratio over 1,000)
• There are 85 lakh female voters among the 1.82 crore first-time voters

The other five phases will be held on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20 and May 25, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar at a press conference here. Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh will vote in the last phase on June 1 and Haryana in the sixth phase on May 25. In Jammu and Kashmir, one seat each — Udhampur, Jammu, Anantnag, Srinagar and Baramulla — will go to the polls in the first five phases. Ladakh seat will vote in the fifth phase.

The Election Commission also announced the schedule for Assembly polls in four states. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will see polling on April 19 and Andhra Pradesh on May 13. Odisha elections will be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. Bypolls will also be held to 26 Assembly constituencies across 13 states, including six seats in Himachal where Congress rebels were recently disqualified under the anti-defection law, said the CEC, who was flanked by new Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The counting for all Assembly polls and byelections will also take place on June 4.

In Himachal, the results of the bypolls to the six seats — Dharamsala, Sujanpur, Barsar, Kutlehar, Gagret and Lahaul-Spiti — could prove to be a gamechanger as the BJP (25 MLAs) will equal the Congress tally of 34 should it win all the six seats and the three Independent legislators continue to support it. The byelection for the Karnal seat in Haryana, vacated by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, will be held on May 25.

In the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, voting will be held in 102 seats across 21 states and UTs. The second phase polling will be in 89 seats of 13 states, third phase for 94 seats across 12 states, fourth for 96 seats across 10 states and the fifth for 49 seats in eight states. In the sixth phase, 57 seats will go to the polls in seven states and 57 seats of eight states in the last phase. The CEC explained that one of the two constituencies in Manipur would vote in two phases due to security reasons, which took the overall tally of Lok Sabha seats to 544 instead of 543. The elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase on April 19 while the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the second phase on April 26.

Arunachal Pradesh, which has 60 Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats, will vote simultaneously on April 19, so will Sikkim, which has 32 Assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies. The voting for 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will be held on May 13. Odisha will vote for the 224-member Assembly poll alongside the 21 Lok Sabha seats in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held soon after the Lok Sabha elections, Kumar said, adding that simultaneous elections were not viable due to the shortage of security personnel. He said security would have to be provided to each candidate.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will witness polling in all the seven phases, while Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tripura and Manipur will have polling in two phases. Chhattisgarh and Assam will witness polling in three phases while Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand will vote in four phases. Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir will have polling in five phases.Kumar said the poll panel was determined to cut down the use of muscle and money power during the elections and appealed to all political parties to keep the electioneering process within the parameters of dignity and decency, urging them to stay away from making personalised attacks and hate speeches.

He also sent out a strong message on the circulation of fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour — “verify before you amplify”. “Fake news will be dealt with severely as per provisions of law. The IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content,” he said.

1.8 crore first-timers
18-19 years 1.82 cr (85L female)
20-29 years 19.74 cr
Above 85 years 82 lakh
Differently abled 88.4 lakh
Centenarians 2.18 lakh
Transgenders 48,000

A first: Vote from home for 85+

Voters aged 85 and above will get to vote from home, if they opt for it. A form will be sent to those eligible for opting for vote from home/booth.

SimultaneousAssembly elections in 4 states

Assembly polls in four states will be held alongside Lok Sabha elections: Arunachal (60 seats) and Sikkim (32) on April 19; Andhra Pradesh (175) on May 13 and Odisha (224) on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

Assembly bypolls to 6 seats in Himachal

Bypolls to 26 Assembly seats in 13 states, including six seats in Himachal where Congress rebels were recently disqualified, will be held alongside LS poll. Karnal, from where ex-CM ML Khattar resigned, will see byelection on May 25.