Digital desk: Announcing the start of the largest democratic exercise in history, the general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 will take place in seven phases starting on April 19 and lasting until June 1. The BJP will be vying for a third consecutive term in power in this election. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar made the announcement today. On June 4, the election results will be declared.
Phase Date Seat
Phasse 1 April 19 102
Phase 2 April 26 89
Phase 3 May 7 94
Phase 4 May 13 96
Phase 5 May 20 49
Phase 6 May 25 57
Phase 7 June 1 57
There will be simultaneous elections in four states those are Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh for the Lok Sabha and assemblies. Notably absent from the list is Jammu & Kashmir, which has been governed by the President since 2018.
According to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will take place shortly after the Lok Sabha elections. He went on to say that the lack of security personnel made simultaneous elections impractical and that the Commission would have to guarantee security for each candidate running in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
26 assembly seats from several states—Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Bihar—will be up for by-elections.
When he announced the dates, Rajiv Kumar delivered a strong message against the spread of false information on social media. "Verify before you amplify" stating that political parties need to guarantee appropriate behavior on social platforms.
Rajiv Kumar said, "Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existing laws. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content."
The other strong message was on violation of the model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be an issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.
He also added that media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.
The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this. Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voters are above the age of 85, he said.
Leave A Comment