Lok Sabha elections: Karnataka to vote on April 17, counting on May 16

Daijiworld Media Network
With IANS Inputs

New Delhi, Mar 5: The polling for the 16th Lok Sabha elections will be held in Karnataka on April 17, announced chief election commissioner V S Sampath on Wednesday March 5.

Announcing the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in New Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan, Sampath said that the polling for the elections will start from April 7 and conclude on May 12. The polling will be held on 9 days - April 7, 9, 10, 12, 17, 24 and 30 and May 7 and 12.

The counting will be held simultaneously across the nation on May 16.

He also announced that the election code of conduct will be enforced with immediate effect.

In some of the states like Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Assam and others, polling will be held in a phased manner on different dates. In Karnataka, the polling will be in a single phase on April 17.

Simultaneous Assembly elections will be held in Sikkim, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Sampath said that this year, the total electorate is 814 million or 84.1 crore, which is approximately 10 crore more than the last general elections.

Camps will be set up on March 9 across 9 lac booths in the country for those who wish to enrol or check their names in electoral lists, he said.

Sampath urged the people to "exercise their right to vote in an informed and ethical manner".

He also appealed to political parties and candidates "to uphold the democratic traditions of the nation by maintaining high standards of political discourse and fair play".

"The Election Commission," he added, "reassures the nation of its solemn resolve and deep commitment to fulfil its constitutional mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections."

Election commissioner H S Brahma added: "We appeal to all political parties not to use any such words or language that is against decorum and decency."

For the first time in any parliamentary election, voters will be free to go for "None of the Above" option among the candidates -- a provision made available in the November-December assembly polls in five states.

Sampath expressed concern over the use of money power aimed at influencing voters and said the poll panel was taking a string of steps to check this.

There will be about 930,000 polling stations across the country -- a 12 percent rise from the 2009 election.

Brahma said for reasons of security, balloting will take place in areas where Maoists were active on one single day.

Six Lok Sabha constituencies in two states will see polling on the first day April 7.

This will be followed by seven constituencies spread over five states April 9, 92 constituencies/14 states April 10, five constituencies/three states April 12, 122 constituencies/13 states April 17, 117 constituencies/12 states April 24, 89 constituencies/nine states April 30, 64 constituencies/seven states May 7 and 41 constituencies/three states May 12.

Sampath said the election schedule was arrived at after taking into view several factors such as school examinations, monsoon, harvesting season and local festivals.