Second longest! Lok Sabha polls 2024 will last 44 days: here’s why they are being extended till June
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha elections. With the announcement, the battleground has begun where political parties will meet and try to win as many Lok Sabha seats as possible to decide who will sit in the Prime Minister’s seat. The elections will be held in seven phases, just like the costly general elections held in 2019. Strikingly, the world’s largest democratic exercise will continue for the second time into the peak summer month of June. According to the EC, the vote for the first phase will take place on April 19 and the second phase on April 26. The elections for the rest of the phases will take place on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. respectively.
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Second longest
Thanks to the 44-day election period, this term’s Lok Sabha elections are also the second longest after the first parliamentary elections of 1951-52. It is striking that the entire election process will take 82 days since the results were announced.
This lengthy process has been caused by several factors, including a six-day delay in announcing the polls compared to 2019, The Indian Express reported.
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Why the announcement was postponed
The delay occurred due to the two vacancies in the three-member poll panel, which also followed Arun Goel’s sudden resignation, reports said. Anup Chandra Pandey had already retired on February 14.
Considering the importance of the general election, the decision was made to appoint the full Commission, Express reported, citing a senior official. Due to this decision, the Commission waited until the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu on March 14 and took charge on March 15.
However, the second reason could be consecutive festivals like Holi, Tamil New Year, Bihu and Baisakhi in the months of March and April.
“There are many factors that contribute to drawing up an election manifesto. For example, security forces need at least six days for interstate movement and redeployment between two phases of elections. “If there is a festival in between, we need to ensure that crucial days like nomination, last date of withdrawal or even election day do not coincide with it as this could disrupt the entire process,” the report quoted an official as saying.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.