India goes to general election on Thursday

The first phase of India’s Lok Sabha election begins on Thursday in 91 parliamentary constituencies in 20 states and Union Territories (UTs).

Voting will take place for all the parliamentary constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarkhand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Telangana on Thursday, reports AFP.

The other states going to polls in the first phase include – Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal where votes will be cast for some of the constituencies in the first phase of general elections.

The election of the 17th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases starting on April 11 and to continue till May 19.

Voting from 2nd to 7th phases of election will take place on April 18, 23 and 29, May 6, 12 and 19 while the counting will take place on May 23.

Nearly 90 crore voters will be eligible to vote for 543 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country, according to Indian Election Commission sources.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued an advisory to all the media to refrain from telecasting or publishing programmes which in any way whatsoever predict the results of the elections during the prohibited period to ensure free, fair and transparent election.

Prediction of results of elections in any form by astrologers, tarot readers, political analysts or by any persons during the prohibited period is violation of the spirit of Section 126A, said an ECI statement.

Therefore, the commission has advised all the media not to publish publicize any such article or programme related to the dissemination of results during the prohibited period, the statement added.

Besides, leaders of the major political parties especially the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) and opposition Congress are in hectic campaign to attract voters. The two parties have already announced their election manifesto making several pledges to gain people’s support in favour of their respective candidates.

The ruling BJP and opposition Congress had announced their campaign themes in the capital on Sunday. The BJP campaign theme is “Phir Ek Baar, Modi Sarkar” (A Modi government again) while the Congress’s “Ab Hoga NYAY” (Justice now, but also a play on the party’s promised income guarantee scheme NYAY).