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EC Sounds Poll Bugle
EC Sounds Poll Bugle, 16th Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi, Election Commission. An estimated 81.4 crore people will be casting their votes after the inclusion of 9.71 crore first-time voters.
9-phase polling: April 7 to May 12
15th LS expires on June 1; new LS to be constituted by May 31
New Delhi: Countdown has begun for the 16th Lok Sabha elections, which promises to be the fiercest and the most interesting contest between BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress face Rahul Gandhi, though AAP candidate Arvind Kejriwal has also thrown in his hat in the electoral fray.
The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the poll dates spread over from April 7 to May 12, in nine phases. The counting of elections will be held on May 16.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) V S Sampat said the first phase of polling will take place on April 7, followed by April 9, April 10, April 12, April 17, April 24, April 30, May 7 and May 12.
The Model Code of Conduct has become operational soon after the elections were announced. The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new Lok Sabha has to be constituted by May 31. Along with the Lok Sabha elections, Assembly polls will be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha.
In the Hindi-heartland States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the elections will be held in six phases, while in J&K and West Bengal, it will take place in five phases. In Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Assam, the polls will be held in three phases. In Rajasthan and Odisha, polls will be held in two phases, while in the rest of the States and UTs, it will be held in one phase. The option of None of The Above (NOTA) will be implemented on a nation-wide basis for the first time. Earlier, it was successfully tried in the last round of five State Assembly elections.
An estimated 81.4 crore people will be casting their votes after the inclusion of 9.71 crore first-time voters. In these elections, the expenditure cap has been raised for the candidates to Rs 70 lakhs in in a Parliamentary constituency in bigger states on their campaign, from Rs 40 lakhs in 2011. In 2009, the expenditure limit was Rs 25 lakhs. CEC expressed concern that besides muscle power, they would also have to contain money power. They will be deputing special observers to oversee the electoral process in the States.
