Resurgent Oppn to take on BJP

■ In 2014, Lok Sabha elections were held across nine phases beginning April 7 and ending May 9

As the Election Commission on Sunday set the ball rolling for the crucial Lok Sabha electoral battle, voters will decide whether they believe in BJP’s slogan “Modi hai to mumkin hai (everything is possible with Modi)” or the Congress rhetoric on Chowkidar chor hai.

Claiming that the Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity is high even after five years, saffron poll managers want the BJP campaign to focus on turning the electoral battle into “Modi vs none” in a virtual repeat of the 2014 strategy of “there is no alternative” (TINA).

While the BJP is asserting that it has fulfilled its 2014 Lok Sabha poll promises under “karmyogi” Mr Modi, the Congress is striving to burst attempts by the PM to seek a second term by showcase his anti-corruption credentials.

Farmers’ unrest, unemployment, few depressing economic indicators and anti-incumbency against

some BJP MPs remain to be key problem areas for the ruling BJP which is striving to showcase development carried out under the Modi government.

The yet-to-be-stitched up Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of Opposition parties will only help the BJP’s poll narrative to get bolder if it does not start speaking in unison soon.

The seven-phase elections are also likely to show whether the “nationalist card” played by the BJP after the Pulwama terror attack and the Indian Air Forces strike on terror camps in Pakistan end up impacting the party’s prospects.

Lok Sabha elections for

2019 will be held from April 11 to May 19 and after the over month-long nation-wide exercise to be held in seven phases across 543 Parliamentary constituencies, the results will be declared on May 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.

Voting for the first phase will be held on April 11 across 20 states covering 91 seats.

Second phase polling will be held on April 18 covering 12 states and 97 seats, while the third phase of polling will take place on April 23 on 115 seats covering 14 states. The fourth phase will be held on April 29 covering nine states and 71 seats, while the fifth phase voting will be conducted on May 6 across seven states covering 51 seats.

The penultimate sixth phase of polling will be conducted on May 12 in 59 seats spreading across seven states, while the last and seventh phase of voting will also be held in

59 seats across eight states on May 19.

The national capital territory of Delhi will go to polls during the sixth phase on May 12.

Rajasthan, Karnataka, Manipur and Tripura will have polls in two phases. Assam and Chhattisgarh will have polling in three phases, while four states which have been and still continue to be affected by Naxal violence namely Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra will have four-phased polling.

Jammu & Kashmir will have a five-phase polling process, while the politically crucial states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will have seven-phase polling.

In 2014, the Lok Sabha elections were held across nine phases beginning April 7 and ending May 9. Votes were counted on May 16.

The total contestants in fray were 8,251, with an average of 15 candidates in each constituency.

A total of over 55 crore voters (66.3 per cent) exercised their vote.