The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the much-awaited schedule for elections to the 18th Lok Sabha. While the world’s largest democratic exercise will be held in seven phases, like the last time, it will be only the second time that polls will extend into the peak summer month of June.
The polling for the first phase will be held on April 19 and the second on April 26, followed by the next phases on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, respectively. The 44-day Lok Sabha election period also makes it the second-longest after the first Parliamentary elections held in 1951-52. The entire election process, from Saturday’s announcement to the declaration of results, lasts 82 days.
The delay in the poll announcement was partly due to the two vacancies in the three-member poll panel following the abrupt resignation of Arun Goel, according to the report. Anup Chandra Pandey had already retired on February 14.
Given the significance of the Lok Sabha elections, it was preferred to have the full Commission in place, reported Express quoting a senior officer. Hence, the decision was made to wait until two new Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, were appointed on March 14 and took charge on March 15.
Forget Ayodhya, the contrast with even Assam and North Bengal was starkly visible as the car moved from the Coimbatore airport towards the city. In central Uttar Pradesh and even Assam and North Bengal, the saffron flag was unmissable. It was visible in shops, homes, cars, autos and even two-wheelers. No such thing in southern Tamil Nadu. Quite surprisingly, one week or so after the author spent a few days in and around Coimbatore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address a rally and launch the BJP campaign in Tamil Nadu. Apart from a few die-hard supporters here and there, the author found no resonance and no enthusiasm among ordinary folks.
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