Election Commission to Announce Lok Sabha Election Tomorrow: Voting Likely in 6-7 Phases
The Election Commission will hold a press conference on Saturday, March 16, to announce the schedule for the 2024 elections and state assemblies. The conference will be livestreamed on ECI’s social media platforms at 3 p.m.
New Election Commissioners Appointed, Meeting Held Regarding Election Schedule
Just a day ago, the appointment of two new commissioners took place. Jnanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu took charge as new election commissioners on Friday, March 15. A meeting was organized by three officials on Friday to discuss the election schedule.
Political Parties Advised Against Using Children in Campaigns
On February 5, the Election Commission advised all political parties against using children in election campaigns in any form. In the advisory issued to parties, the Election Panel strictly warned against using children’s posters and pamphlets during the election process, as well as refraining from using sources of child labor. Any party or candidate found engaging in such activity will face strict penalties under a zero tolerance policy.
97 Crore Voters, 2 Crore New Voters to Participate in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 97 crore people will be eligible to vote. The Election Commission announced improvements in the electoral process for the 2024 elections in a report released on February 8. It was stated that 2 crore new voters between the ages of 18 and 29 have been added to the voting pool. This marks a 6% increase from the number of voters recorded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Elderly Voters Over 85 Can Now Vote by Postal Ballot
Following the Election Commission’s assessment, changes have been made to the election rules to allow elderly voters to vote by postal ballot. Now, only voters aged 85 and above can vote by postal ballot. Previously, this facility was available only to those aged 80 and above. The Ministry of Law announced amendments to the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961 to facilitate this change.
Election Schedules Historically Set
In the last two Lok Sabha elections, the announcement of election dates and polling had a gap of approximately 40 to 50 days. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, with results announced on the fourth day, May 23. Similarly, in 2014, the Lok Sabha election dates were announced on March 5, and polling was conducted in nine phases from April 7 to May 12, with results announced on the fourth day, May 16.
