Political parties participating in the next General Elections may have shorter campaign time as announcement for the coming Lok Sabha elections is getting pushed beyond 10 March, the date when the last general elections were announced in 2019.
The announcement of the elections is accompanied by simultaneous enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, which is to be followed by the political parties as well as Union and State governments and Union administrations. The elections are due in April-May, 2024.
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As long as the Model Code of Conduct does not come into effect, the political parties and government administrations will get more time before they are to observe strict restrictions on statements and policy decisions.
All parties are currently in the thick of making their political alliances and announcing their policy proposals, should they come into power in the election for the 18th Lok Sabha. Some parties have released their initial lists of candidates.
Elections to State Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are scheduled along with the Lok Sabha elections.
In its meetings with the Union Home Ministry and Railway Board officials, the Election Commission has made known its requirements of security personnel and their timely transport across the nation.
The largest electorate in the world — 96.88 crores are registered to vote for the forthcoming General Elections. The Election Commission is likely to set up 12.5 lakh polling stations across 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Over 2.63 crore new electors have been included in the latest electoral roll, out of which around 1.41 crore are female electors.
The Union Budget for 2024-25 has earmarked an allocation of Rs 306 crore for the elections.
The Election Commission of India has revamped its website and it holds a variety of information related to planning and conduct of Elections in India. It has details of elections (Parliamentary as well as State Assemblies) since the first general elections, held in 1951.