Election Commission to announce Lok Sabha election schedule today
The 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule will be announced on Saturday at 3:00pm, the Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed on Friday. The ECI shared a brief statement on X (formerly Twitter) announcing that the dates for four Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place around the same time, would also be released. Notably, the Model Code of Conduct will come into action from the moment the poll dates are announced.
Why does this story matter?
The term of the 17th Lok Sabha will end on June 16. Meanwhile, the terms of the Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha assemblies will end on June 2, June 11, and June 24, respectively. The ECI announced the poll schedule last time on March 10, 2019, which included voting in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 and counting on May 23, 2019.
Know about ECI's announcement details
For the first time, the poll body has given a 24-hour notice of a press conference to announce voting dates, polling phases, and other details, NDTV reported. Furthermore, the announcement will also include the deployment of security personnel in states where post-election violence and clashes with Maoist or rebel forces are factors that need consideration.
New election commissioners appointed ahead of 2024 polls
The ECI's pre-announcement comes just a few days after two new election commissioners were appointed following Arun Goel's surprising departure earlier this month and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement in February. On Friday, former Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar were named election commissioners by a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Electrifying 2024 Lok Sabha polls
The highly anticipated general elections in India are predicted to witness a high-voltage battle. While the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is vying for a third term, the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc has formed a united front against the saffron party. Both the Congress and BJP have already released two candidate lists.
