The world’s largest democratic exercise, the general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, will take place over the course of seven phases, starting on April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar announced today. The results will be out on June 4.
There will be simultaneous elections in four states (Shikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra) for the Lok Sabha and assemblies.
The elections will be held in seven phases, with first on April 19, second on April 26, third on May 7, fourth on May 13, fifth on May 20, sixth on May 25 and seventh on June 1.
Additionally, 26 assembly seats from various states—Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Bihar—will be up for by-elections.
Along with the date announcement, Mr. Kumar issued a strong call to action for political parties to ensure responsible social media behavior by encouraging people to “verify before you amplify” in response to fake news on social media.
“In accordance with current laws, fake news will be dealt with harshly. Nodal officers in each state are authorized to remove illegal content under Section 79(3)(B) of the IT Act, he said.
The other powerful message focused on hate speech violations against the model code. “There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone’s personal lives,” he stated.
According to Kumar, voters who are over 85 years old or who have a disability and are 40 percent disabled can cast their ballots from home. According to him, about 82 lakh voters are older than 85.
