The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday that voting for assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Odisha will take place on April 19 and May 13. The world’s largest democratic exercise, the Lok Sabha elections in India, will take place across seven phases from April 19 to June 1. On June 4, the results will be made public.
Before the present House’s tenure expires on June 16, the 18th Lok Sabha must be established. June will also see the conclusion of the terms for the assembly in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Odisha.
In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regained control in the Lok Sabha, which has 543 members, with a larger majority of 303 seats. 52 seats were awarded to the Congress. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which the BJP leads on the strength of welfare politics, development, and Hindutva, has 400 seats to aim for.
Ahead of the polls, erstwhile allies have joined the NDA again as the BJP seeks to hold onto its stronghold in northern India and gain ground in eastern and southern India.
The Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of the opposition seeks to undermine the BJP’s extensive social coalition and electoral record.
Two days after the President named former bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar as election commissioners, the schedule was made public.
A day before the Supreme Court on Friday declined to halt the appointments and said it would consider the appeal to the legislation, the Prime Minister-led selection committee announced the commissioners’ names for the first time under a new statute.
