The Election Commission of India will unveil the dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls at 3 pm today. In a statement posted on X, the poll panel announced that a press conference will be held to disclose the schedule. The current term of the Lok Sabha concludes on June 16.
Lok Sabha Election Dates LIVE Updates
The 17th Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, with the results declared on May 23. According to the EC, a total of 60,76,50,051 votes were polled in the 2019 elections.
BJP’s Landmark Victory in 2019
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the BJP to a resounding victory for a second consecutive term with the saffron party securing an overwhelming majority, capturing 303 out of the 458 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. This marked a significant increase from its 2014 performance, when it won 282 seats. In 2019, the Congress came in second, securing only 52 seats. The BJP’s total vote share notably increased by 6.5 percentage points, as compared to the 2014 elections. Out of the total 60.76 crore votes cast in 2019, over 22.6 crore were in favour of the BJP.
Why Is BJP So Confident
The fulfilment of three major promises that the BJP made in 2019 poll manifesto has bolstered the party’s confidence in its victory. Among the top promises were the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by the construction of the Ramjanmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, and now the implementation of the CAA, four years after it was passed by Parliament. Despite criticism from several political parties like the Trinamool Congress in the east and the DMK in the south regarding the timing of the law’s implementation, and their decision of opposition to its application in their respective states, union home minister Amit Shah recently affirmed that the CAA is “here to stay” and the party will not revoke it.
Election Commissioner’s Resignation
As anticipation surrounding the announcement of poll dates grew, a major obstacle arose with the sudden resignation of Arun Goel from the Election Commission panel. Originally comprising three members, the panel was reduced to two following the retirement of election commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in February. Subsequently, the prime minister and representatives from the opposition convened to select two new commissioners — Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu — who assumed their roles as election commissioners on Friday. Amid Goel’s resignation and the appointment of Kumar and Sandhu, the Supreme Court intervened by temporarily halting a plea contesting the appointment of the two new commissioners.
Battleground States
All eyes are on Maharashtra as political dynamics have undergone a shift. The Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, along with Ajit Pawar’s NCP and the BJP, will form an alliance to contest the Lok Sabha elections in the state. In the previous polls, the BJP secured victory 23 out of the 25 seats it contested in the 2019 elections, while its former coalition partner, the undivided Shiv Sena, won 18 out of 23 seats it contested. As part of the opposition coalition, the undivided NCP contested 19 seats and succeeded in winning four.
West Bengal, too, is in focus. With Sandeshkhali and central agencies probing back-to-back scams in Bengal, can affect the voting pattern in the state. In 2019, the TMC secured 22 seats, while the BJP won 18, with corresponding vote shares of 43.3% and 40.7%, respectively. However, this dynamic could shift due to the BJP’s increasing influence in the state, especially following Prime Minister Modi’s recent visits and the inauguration of India’s first underwater metro.
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