Lok Sabha election procedure kicks off as EC notifies first phase nomination window
The nomination process for the first phase of the Lok Sabha election began on Wednesday, with the issuance of a notification by the Election Commission.
A total of 102 seats in 21 States and Union Territories will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
Polling will be held in Arunachal Pradesh (two seats), Assam (five), Bihar (four), Chhattisgarh (one), Madhya Pradesh (six), Maharashtra (five), Manipur (two), Meghalaya (two), Mizoram (one), Nagaland (one), Rajasthan (12), Sikkim (one), Tamil Nadu (39), Tripura (one), Uttar Pradesh (eight), Uttarakhand (five), West Bengal (three), Andaman and Nicobar (one), Jammu and Kashmir (one), Lakshadweep (one) and Puducherry (one). The last date for filing nomination papers is March 27.
However, in Bihar, it is March 28 due to a festival. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on
March 28. For Bihar, it will be done on March 30.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 20, while for Bihar, it is April 2. The election for the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases beginning April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
The counting of votes is on June 4. The term of the
Second-longest election
The election will be held over 44 days, making it the secondlongest election period in India.
The longest is the first Lok Sabha election that spanned five months from September 1951 to February 1952.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), banking on his government’s performance for the past 10 years.
The Opposition Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on the other hand has targeted the government over joblessless, price rise, farmers' woes, and so on.