Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Polling In Seven Phases; First Phase Voting On 19 April, Results On 4 June; Model Code Of Conduct Comes Into Force

The Election Commission on Saturday (16 March) announced the dates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and state Assembly elections.

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, with polling for the first phase on 19 April.

In the first phase, 102 parliamentary seats in 21 states will go for the polling.

Voting for the second phase will be conducted on 26 April, while third phase polling will be on 7 May.

In the second phase, polling will be held in 89 constituencies in 13 states.

The third phase of the polling will witness voting on 94 seats in 12 states.

Fourth phase polling will be on 13 May, while voting for phase five will be on 20 May.

As many as 96 seats in 10 states will go for polling in the fourth phase, while in the fifth phase, voting will be conducted for 49 seats in eight states.

In the sixth phase, polling will be conducted for 57 seats in seven states.

The seventh and the final phase will witness polling in 57 seats in eight states.

The counting of votes for the General elections will be conducted on 4 June.

With the announcement of the General elections schedule , the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force.

Over 97 crore registered voters, 49.7 crore males and 47.1 crore females, are eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. Around 1.2 crore voters will exercise their right to vote for the first time in these elections.

Voters above the age of 85 and persons with disabilities will be given an option of voting from home.

"We are committed to make the elections muscle power free, no violence and bloodbath should happen both post and pre polls," CEC Rajiv Kumar said in the press conference for the poll announcement.

Kumar also warned that the election commission will be "ruthless" if violence happens anywhere during the poll process.