India (Commonwealth Union)_ India is all set for the Lok Sabha elections, a monumental democratic event that takes place every five years. According to the official announcement from the Election Commission of India, the Lok Sabha elections will start in mid-April. Scheduled to commence on April 19, 2024, the general elections will unfold in 7 distinct phases. The formal notification issued by the Election Commission details the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and delineates crucial dates concerning the nomination process and election timetable across various states and union territories.
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As per the notification, March 28 is the nomination deadline for Bihar, while it’s March 27 for the following states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. Nomination scrutiny will occur on March 30 for Bihar and March 28 for other regions. Further, candidates have time until April 2 to withdraw nominations in Bihar and until March 30 for other regions. According to the notification, June 6 is the deadline for completing all election processes across all aforementioned parliamentary constituencies.
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Accordingly, the initial phase encompasses 102 Lok Sabha seats across 17 states and four union territories. Major seats are 39 in Tamil Nadu, 12 in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, and 6 in Madhya Pradesh. Other seats include five in Uttarakhand, Assam, and Maharashtra; four in Bihar; three in West Bengal; two in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya; and one seat each in Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry, all set to commence polling on April 19.
Earlier, on March 16, the Election Commission had issued the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, stating that the elections will unfold in seven phases nationwide, spanning from April 19 to June 1, with vote counting slated for June 4. The 2024 election season, spanning 44 days, marks the lengthiest in India’s electoral history since its first Lok Sabha election in 1951-1952. Notably, India’s elections stand as the world’s largest democratic event, with approximately 970 million registered voters. This includes 470 million women participating in casting their ballots. Additionally, this year will see 18 million first-time voters exercising their franchise.
There are two principal factors that contribute to the elongated duration. India’s vast geographical expanse, as the world’s most populous nation, and the remarkable logistical efforts required to ensure every registered voter exercises their right to vote. Over the years, the voting duration has varied, ranging from nearly four months during India’s initial elections in 1951-1952 to just four days in 1980. In 2019, the voting spanned 39 days, making this year’s election the second-longest. With massive 969 million registered voters, India’s electorate surpasses the combined population of the European Union.
The voting process to elect 543 lawmakers to the lower house of Parliament unfolds across seven phases. Accordingly, India’s 28 states and eight federal territories will cast their votes at different intervals. Each phase spans one day, with the first phase occurring on April 19 and the final phase on June 1. While some states will complete their voting in a single day, others may require a longer duration. For instance, Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state equivalent to Brazil in size with 200 million inhabitants, will conduct voting over all seven days.
