Five-phase polls from April 16 to May 13

Model Code of Conduct comes into effect on Monday across the country with the Chief Election Commissioner’s, flanked by two deputies, announcement for the dates and schedules for the 15th Lok Sabha general elections. The 15th Lok Sabha will be constituted before June 2, 2009.

The Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami announced on Monday that general elections for the 15th Lok Sabha will be held in five phases beginning from April 16 and will come to an end on May 15.

On April 16, 124 constituencies will go on poll in the first phase; the second phase will be held on April 23 in 141 constituencies; in third phase on April 30, polling will take place in 107 constituencies; while the fourth and fifth phases will take place on May 7 and May 13 in 85 and 86 constituencies.

Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh are the two states which will go on all the five phases, Bihar alone will go into poll in four phases. The elections will be held in three phases in Maharashtra and West Bengal; while the 8 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa and Punjab will go on polls in two phases to constitute the 15th Lok Sabha. The rest of the 15th states will have one-day polls.

Simultaneously with the general elections, three states Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim will also go on polls. Moreover, by-polls to seven Assembly seats in different states would also be held during this period.

In the outgoing 14th Lok Sabha, UPA had the strength of 214 MPs, NDA had 185 and the Left parties had 60 legislators.

A total of 71.4 crore voters will use their franchise, Gopalaswami said, which is an increase of 43 million from 2004 when the last General Elections were held. The counting of votes will take place on May 16.