The Election Commission of India has announced that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases, starting from April 19 and concluding on June 1. The results of the elections will be declared on June 4. Consequently, the Model Code of Conduct will now be enforced. The voting for each phase will be conducted on the following dates: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
The Election Commission of India has announced that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases, starting from April 19 and concluding on June 1. The results of the elections will be declared on June 4. Consequently, the Model Code of Conduct will now be enforced. The voting for each phase will be conducted on the following dates: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
Almost 968 million individuals are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections across more than 1.2 million polling stations.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India, the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, achieved a resounding victory by securing 303 seats out of the total 542 contested seats. Notably, the party’s success was most pronounced in states like Uttar Pradesh, where it captured 62 out of 80 seats, solidifying its position as the predominant political entity in the nation.
Conversely, the Congress faced another bitter defeat, securing only 52 seats for the second consecutive time. Currently, the longstanding party is part of the INDIA opposition coalition. Although it has negotiated seat-sharing agreements in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, it was left without allies in West Bengal, Punjab, and Bihar. Finalizing seat-sharing remains unresolved in key states such as Maharashtra.
Various other parties and regional actors displayed diverse performances in the previous Lok Sabha elections. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) maintained its supremacy in West Bengal, clinching 22 out of 42 seats. The DMK, led by MK Stalin, made significant strides in Tamil Nadu, securing 23 out of 38 seats. Meanwhile, Mayawati’s BSP and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party saw a decline in their influence in Uttar Pradesh.
In 2019, assembly elections were concurrently held with the Lok Sabha elections in four states—Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress seized power in the assembly with 151 seats, while the Telugu Desam Party, which had been in power since June 2014, secured only 23 seats.
Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) maintained its winning streak in Odisha in 2019, securing 117 out of 146 assembly seats. The BJP made significant gains with 23 seats, while the Congress managed only 9 seats.
The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), a relatively new political force compared to the long-standing Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), emerged as the winner in Sikkim, securing 17 out of the total 32 seats. On the other hand, the Sikkim Democratic Front, which had been in power since 1994, won 15 seats, experiencing a decrease of seven seats from their previous tally.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP and its allies emerged victorious, obtaining a majority by winning 41 out of the 60 seats. Other parties that participated in the election were the Janata Dal (United) and the National People’s Party, which secured seven and five seats respectively. The Congress, once a dominant force in the state, was reduced to only four seats.