Over 16 crore voters would exercise their franchise on April 19 as the 2024 general election, the world’s biggest festival of democracy, kicks off with 102 Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls in the first phase.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is looking for a third-straight term in office, after successes in the 2014 and 2019 elections, the Opposition Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is hoping to stop the ruling alliance in its tracks.
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The BJP is seeking a vote for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by highlighting its 10-year rule under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the campaign of the Congress - the largest party in the INDIA bloc - has revolved around issues of unemployment, inflation, misuse of Central agencies and threats to the democratic and secular fabric of the country.
The first phase would also see the highest number of constituencies going to polls.
All 39 Lok Sabha seats of Tamil Nadu and five seats of Uttarakhand, 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight crucial seats in western Uttar Pradesh, and six seats in Madhya Pradesh are among those going to polls on April 19. Voting will also be held in ethnic violence-hit Manipur and Naxal-affected Bastar in Chattisgarh. In Manipur’s Inner Manipur seat, polling will be held on April 19 as well as on April 26, during the second phase.
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Polling would also be held in 92 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, where Assembly elections are being held simultaneously.
Some of the high-profile BJP candidates whose fates would be sealed on April 19 are Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Bhupender Yadav, Sanjeev Balyan, and Jitin Prasada. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) A. Raja, Dayanidhi Maran and K. Kanimozhi, and Gaurav Gogoi of Congress, are other heavyweights in the fray.
A total of 1,625 candidates, including 1,491 male and 134 female candidates, are in the fray in the first phase of the seven-phase election that would culminate on June 1. Counting of votes would be held on June 4. Overall, 16.63 crore voters, including 8.4 crore male, 8.23 crore female and 11,371 third-gender electors, would exercise their franchise on April 19. Around 35.67 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.51 crore voters in the 20-29 age group.
Over 14.14 lakh voters who are above 85 years of age and 13.89 lakh voters with disabilities have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes.
The Election Commission of India (EC) said that 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up and 41 helicopters, 84 special trains and nearly 1 lakh vehicles have been deployed to ferry polling and security personnel.
Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m., though the closure of poll timings differs in some seats, the EC said.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reviewed election preparations at a meeting on Thursday.
On the eve of elections on April 18, President Droupadi Murmu appealed to voters, especially first-time electors, to enthusiastically participate in this “festival of democracy”. Mr. Rajiv Kumar too made a video appeal to voters.
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Webcasting will be done in more than 50% of the polling stations along with deployment of micro-observers in all polling stations. A total of 361 observers have already reached their constituencies before the election. Besides, 4,627 Flying Squads, 5,208 Statistics Surveillance Teams, 2,028 Video Surveillance Teams and 1,255 Video Viewing Teams are engaged in surveillance round the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters.
Around 1,374 inter-State and 162 International Border check-posts are keeping strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Sea and air routes have come under surveillance.
