The Election Commission on Friday said that it will announce the schedule for Lok Sabha elections and some state assemblies on March 16.
The announcement will be made during a press conference at 3 pm in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan. The press conference will be live-streamed on the social media platforms of the poll body, it said.
The Model Code of Conduct will come into effect as soon as the announcement is made.
The ECI had completed its national survey of poll preparedness in every State, ending its survey with a tour of Jammu and Kashmir this week.
Regional and national parties have already begun announcing their candidates for the elections to the 543 Parliamentary constituencies. The BJP has so far released two lists of 267 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, while the Congress announced the names of 82 candidates over two lists.
Meanwhile, the ECI on March 14 made public the data on electoral bonds it received from the State Bank of India and has also sought the return of the electoral bonds’ documents handed over to the Supreme Court in sealed cover/sealed boxes.