The Election Commission (EC) would set the ball rolling for the world’s biggest electoral process with the announcement of the poll dates in February end or first week of March.
The polls would be a gigantic exercise with deployment of over 11 million people to ensure that over 810 million voters are able to exercise their franchise in a free and fair manner.
About 1.5 million electronic voting machines would be used in as many polling stations across India.
The EC is working on a multi- phase, probably five, election schedule with the states in the warmer parts of the country expected to go to polls in April and first week of May.
The remaining states, mostly in the north and hilly region, would have polling days between the first week and the middle of May.
“The exact dates have not been finalised as yet.
We are working at a schedule keeping in view a month-long window of mid-April to mid-May,” a senior EC official said.
The counting of votes is expected to be between May 15 and May 20.
{{/usCountry}}The counting of votes is expected to be between May 15 and May 20.
{{/usCountry}}The commission is required to complete the election process by end of May as the 16th Lok Sabha has to be constituted by June 1.