Lok Sabha elections on April 16? Delhi election office clears the confusion

An EC election planner on the Bihar CEO’s website lists 144 tasks that need to be completed between more than six months before the poll day and four days after voting

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s election office on Tuesday clarified that a widely-circulated letter to city officials that referred to April 16 as a tentative poll date for the Lok Sabha elections, saying this was an imaginary poll date.

.Tuesday’s clarification explained that this date was mentioned “purely for the purpose of advance planning, preparations and completion of activities” related to the General Election

The clarification issued by the office of chief electoral officer, Delhi on X, formerly Twitter, came after a January 19 letter by assistant chief electoral officer T Misao to Delhi’s district election officers emerged on social media. The letter, which asked district officials to stick to the schedule, pointing that the Election Commission of India’s Planner had listed April 16 as the poll date to calculate the timelines for various tasks.

In the letter, Misao wrote that on start and end date of each activity, “a notification is sent from the Election Planner Portal to CEO Delhi through SMS & email”. The status of each activity must then be updated as “Pending/ In Progress/ Scheduled/ Completed depending on the reports received from the DEOs/ROs and concerned Branches at CEO (HQ)”.

Tuesday’s clarification explained that this date was mentioned “purely for the purpose of advance planning, preparations and completion of activities” related to the General Election.

“In this regard, it is clarified that in the run-up to the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections 2024, it is required to plan and complete a large number of activities pertaining to the election. ECI Planner enlists all such important activities and provides Start date and End date with reference to an imaginary poll date as a reference point to initiate and complete those activities.

In the planner, EC does not give a specific date but lists the tasks that need to be completed between 300 days before the polling day to 4 days after the polling day.

An EC election planner on the Bihar CEO’s website lists 144 tasks that need to be completed between more than six months before the poll day (identified as P day in the planner) and four days after the P day (P+4).

A KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, Practice) Survey, which lasts for 61 days, is the first task that needs to be initiated 300 days before P day. 120 days or four months before the polling day, electoral voting machines (EVMs) undergo their first checks, a process that is expected to last 31 days. From a day after the polling day (P+1) to three days after (P+3), arrangements need to be made at counting halls.