Lok Sabha Election 2024 Dates: The four states expected to vote in April/May are Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim, with Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand to vote later this year.
New Delhi: Dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be announced at 3 pm Saturday, the Election Commission of India said on Friday. The ECI posted a brief statement on X (formerly Twitter) that said dates for four Assembly polls – scheduled to be held around the same time – would also be released.
The Model Code of Conduct will come into force from the time the dates are announced. The 2019 election was held over seven phases from April 11 to May 19, with results declared four days later.
The four states expected to vote in April/May are Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim; Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand scheduled to vote later this year. Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, are also set to vote, in line with a Supreme Court order directing the conduct of Assembly polls by September 30 as the first step towards restoration of statehood.
Press Conference by Election Commission to announce schedule for #GeneralElections2024 & some State Assemblies will be held at 3 pm tomorrow ie Saturday, 16th March. It will livestreamed on social media platforms of the ECI pic.twitter.com/1vlWZsLRzt
— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) March 15, 2024
In a first, the poll panel has given 24-hour notice of a press conference to announce voting dates, polling phases, and other details, including deployment of security personnel in states where post-poll violence and clashes with Maoist or rebel forces is a factor that needs to be considered.
Bengal’s ruling Trinamool has already underlined its position, calling for a single-phase election for the state’s 42 seats and demanding central security forces not “threaten/intimidate voters”.
Election Commissioners Case In Supreme Court
The ECI’s pre-announcement comes a day after two new Election Commissioners were inducted, after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Arun Goel’s surprise resignation last week. Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have been named to the panel.
The nomination of Mr Kumar and Mr Sandhu was challenged by the Association for Democratic Reforms, a non-partisan organisation working on electoral and political reforms. The ADR, which also petitioned the top court in the electoral bonds issue, had sought a stay on the two appointments, challenging the decision to exclude Chief Justice DY Chandrachud from the selection panel.