Lok Sabha Election Dates to be announced today
The dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be revealed on Saturday at 3 p.m. by the Indian Election Commission. Four Assembly polls, which are slated to take place at roughly the same time, will also have their dates announced, according to a brief statement released by the ECI on X (formerly Twitter).
The moment the dates are announced, the Model Code of Conduct will be in effect. Results of the 2019 election were announced four days after it was conducted in seven phases from April 11 to May 19.
Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim are the four states that are anticipated to cast ballots in April or May; Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand are scheduled to cast ballots later in the year. In accordance with a Supreme Court ruling mandating the holding of Assembly elections by September 30 as the first step towards the restoration of statehood, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will also vote.
Press Conference by Election Commission to announce schedule for #GeneralElections2024 & some State Assemblies will be held at 3 pm tomorrow ie Saturday, 16th March. It will livestreamed on social media platforms of the ECI pic.twitter.com/1vlWZsLRzt
— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) March 15, 2024
The governing Trinamool Party of Bengal has already emphasized its stance, insisting that central security forces not “threaten/intimidate voters” and demanding a single-phase election for the 42 seats in the state.
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Supreme Court Case Concerning Election Commissioners
The pre-announcement by the ECI occurs one day after the appointment of two new Election Commissioners, following the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel last week and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar, two former IAS officers, have been added to the panel.
The nonpartisan Association for Democratic Reforms, which works on political and electoral reforms, contested the nominations of Mr. Kumar and Mr. Sandhu. The ADR had requested a stay on the two appointments, contesting the decision to remove Chief Justice DY Chandrachud from the selection panel. The ADR had also petitioned the Supreme Court in relation to the electoral bonds issue.
The top court, which was considering the petition when the ECI tweeted, declined to stay the appointments of Mr. Kumar and Mr. Sandhu and stated that the case would be reopened on March 21.
Election Commissioners are currently appointed by the President on the advice of a three-person panel that is presided over by the Prime Minister. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury of the Congress, and a Union Minister are also on the panel.
But the Supreme Court had declared in March 2023 that the Chief Justice, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Prime Minister should make up the panel. The court did, however, state in an addendum that the order would stand until a law was passed that stated otherwise—a move that many saw as providing the government with an out.
The government enacted a law in December that creates a new appointment process for the three election commissioners, allowing a Union Minister to replace the Chief Justice.
Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, leads the polling panel.
