The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule of Lok Sabha polls 2024 on Saturday, March 16.
Taking to X, an ECI spokesperson said that a press conference by the election body to announce the schedule would be held at 3 pm on Saturday.
The announcement by the poll panel comes hours after the two newly appointed election commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, took charge on Friday. The two were appointed election commissioners by the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Also Read: Lok Sabha polls 2024: ‘DMK-Congress’ INDIA can never make Tamil Nadu a developed state’, says PM Modi | 10 key takeaways
The announcement of poll dates on Saturday would mean officially putting in place the model code of conduct (MCC) with immediate effect until the announcement of results.
The MCC is a set of rules to guarantee free and fair elections in the country. The purpose is to ensure that ruling parties, at the Centre and in the States, do not misuse their position of advantage to gain an unfair edge. The aim is also to avert practices that are deemed corrupt under the model code such as politicians making hate speeches or promises about new projects that may sway voters.
In 2019, the Lok Sabha poll dates were announced on March 10. The polling was held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha.
The result, declared on May 23, 2019, saw a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under PM Modi, with 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP’s ‘400 paar’ target to face tough competition in THESE states, opinion poll shows
The BJP, led by PM Modi, is seeking a record third term in the upcoming elections. The saffron party has kept 370+ seats target for the party in the upcoming polls and 400+ for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The ruling alliance is up against the INDIA bloc, an amalgamation of several opposition parties including the Congress. Both sides have released their list of candidates for the polls.
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