The Election Commission will declare the dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Saturday at 3 PM. Along with this, the election dates for state assemblies in Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh will also be announced.
Newly appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, together with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will make the announcement. There will be live streaming across all Election Commission's social media platforms. It is suggested by sources that the Lok Sabha elections may take place in seven to eight phases.
Following the appointment of the new Election Commissioners on Thursday, they assumed office today. In the morning, the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, welcomed both Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. A crucial meeting of the Election Commission was held around 11 AM today after both took charge. This meeting was convened to review the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections.
In the meantime, both Election Commissioners deliberated with the CEC to give a decisive shape to the election schedule.
BJP predicted to achieve a major victory in surveys
Between December 2023 and January 2024, India Today conducted a 'Mood of the Nation' survey to understand the country's sentiment. The survey indicated that BJP is heading towards a hat-trick win in 2024.
According to the survey, the NDA is expected to win 335 seats out of 543. Meanwhile, India Block may secure 166 seats, and others could get 42 seats. The BJP alone might clinch victory in 304 constituencies. Congress is anticipated to win 71 seats, with others getting 168.
NDA vs. INDIA
In the opposition to the BJP-led NDA, various parties have formed the 'INDIA' coalition. Over two dozen opposition parties are part of this alliance, while the NDA consists of about 40 parties. The NDA currently boasts more than 350 MPs, while the India Block has around 150. However, the India Block has also experienced setbacks in many states, as some parties have decided to contest independently. For instance, Mamata Banerjee's TMC is a part of the India Block but has chosen to compete alone for all 42 seats in West Bengal.
Last time elections were conducted in 7 phases
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases. The Election Commission announced the dates on March 10th, with voting for the first phase on April 11th, and the last phase on May 19th, culminating in the results announced on May 23rd. At that time, India had over 91 crore voters, with a 67% voter turnout.
What were the results last time?
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured a larger victory than in 2014. They won 282 seats in 2014, whereas in 2019 they won 303 seats. The NDA achieved 353 seats. BJP received more than 37.7% of the votes, while the NDA garnered 45%. The Congress won just 52 seats.
