The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday announced that Lok Sabha election will be held in seven phases beginning April 19 and counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The first phase of the polling will be held on April 19, followed by April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh will go to polls in a single phase on June 1, while Haryana and Delhi will also see single-phase polling on May 25. The lone seat in Ladakh will see polling on May 20.
Polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be spread across five phases from April 26 to May 20.
Also, elections to six Assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh—Dharamshala, Lahaul & Spiti, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret and Kutleha—will be conducted on June 1. Polls to the Karnal Assembly seat, vacated by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, will be held on May 25.
Polls in UP, Bihar and West Bengal would be spread across seven phases.
Elections to Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha, will be conducted simultaneously with the General elections.
In response to a question that the opposition is alleging that seven-phase polls spread across so many days will favour the ruling dispensation, the CEC said one has to understand the needs of security forces, too.
“They need to move (with each phase), they are under pressure, the election machinery conducting the polls also needs to be kept in mind. We are not favouring any one; it’s a fallacy," he said.
In response to a question on EVMs, CEC said electronic voting machines cannot be hacked.
“These cannot be hacked. Each EVM undergoes a mock poll three times before all candidates. EVMs are hundred percent safe. We have done a large number of improvements. Each EVM’s number will be shared with each candidate,” he said.
On his former colleague Arun Goyal, who quit as Election Commissioner last week, the CEC said, “Arun Goyal was a very distinguished member of our team, I enjoyed working with him. The Commission has scope for dissent and that will keep happening”.
CEC said strict directions have been given to District Magistrates and SPs to ensure level playing field.
“CAPF will be deployed adequately and assisted by Integrated control rooms in each district. Check posts and drones will ensure vigil,” he said.
The CEC said ensuring voters’ trust is paramount. “Violence in elections is unacceptable. Impersonators will be swiftly punished”.
ECI has offered 27 apps and portals for all stakeholders.
The CEC said the poll body is sensitive to environmentally sustainable elections. “We are making efforts to minimise single-use plastic and encourage eco-friendly practices in the election process”.
He said to curb flow of illicit money, the poll body has held extensive reviews with enforcement agencies.
“Cash movement worth around Rs 3,400 crore was restricted in the last 11 state assembly elections in Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Tripura,” CEC said.
“Measures like ESMs portal, and coordination between agencies resulted in an exponential increase in seizures in the last 11 elections,” he added.
CEC said there is no place for bloodbath and violence in the elections.
“From wherever we will receive the information of violence, we will take action against them,” he said.
On the misinformation being spread in the current era, CEC Kumar said, “We have put certain measures in place to ensure misinformation is nipped in the bud. We’re proactive in debunking fake news. Originators of fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.”
“Verify Before You Amplify” is the mantra to combat fake news. Let’s rely on authoritative sources to ensure accurate information prevails. Stay vigilant and help us maintain the integrity of the electoral process,” he added.