The Election Commission of India has officially issued the notification for the commencement of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, scheduled to take place on April 19. In the notification, the ECI outlined important dates regarding the nomination process and election schedule for various states and union territories.
According to the notification, March 28 is set as the deadline for filing nominations in Bihar, while it’s March 27 for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 30 for Bihar and March 28 for other regions.
Candidates have until April 2 to withdraw their nominations in Bihar, and until March 30 for the other mentioned regions. The notification also specifies June 6 as the deadline for completing the election process in all the parliamentary constituencies mentioned above.
This phase of the elections covers 102 Lok Sabha seats across 17 states and four union territories. Notable seats include 39 in Tamil Nadu, 12 in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, and 6 in Madhya Pradesh.
Additional seats include five in Uttarakhand, Assam, and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and one seat each i Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry, all scheduled for polling on April 19.
The Election Commission had previously announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on March 16. The elections will be conducted in seven phases nationwide from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.
