President Issues Notification for LS Polls Phase One
President Pratibha Patil on Monday issued a notification for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 124 seats across 17 states and union territories, the announcement marks the formal start of the five-phase poll process that kick starts April 16.
The governors of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh too issued notifications for the Assembly elections in the two states that coincide with the Lok Sabha elections – 2009.
Notifications were issued for 154 of the 294 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 70 of the 147 assembly seats in Orissa that will be held during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The issuance of notification is the first phase of the electoral process which is poised to witness over 714 million voters exercising their franchise to elect a new 543-member house which is required to be constituted before June 2.
The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled across five phases on April 16, 23, 30 and May 7and 13. Counting of votes would take place on May 16.
Nominations, for the constituencies going to polls in the first phase, close March 30 and withdrawal of candidatures is allowed only up to April two.
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh have been spread across the five phased elections while polls for the 40 parliamentary segments in Bihar are scheduled in four phases.
Polling in Maharashtra and West Bengal will be held in three phases.
Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Orissa and Punjab go to the hustings in two stages while poll activity in the remaining 15 states and seven union territories will be confined to a single phase.
Notification for the second phase of elections for 141 seats would be issued on March 28, for third phase for 107 seats on April 2, for fourth phase for 85 seats on April 11 and for the fifth phase for 86 seats on April 17, reports PTI.
The massive democratic effort will be monitored by nearly 2,500 observers for which the authorities will depute 40 lakh civilian officials and 21 lakh security personnel.
(Based on Media Reports)
