Andhra Pradesh Set for Single-Phase Lok Sabha, Assembly Elections on May 13

The Election Commission of India announced on Saturday that Andhra Pradesh will hold simultaneous elections for the state Assembly and Lok Sabha in a single phase on May 13, involving over four crore eligible voters across 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats.

According to the election schedule, notification for the polls will be issued on April 18, with the deadline for nominations set for April 25. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 26, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 29. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.

Of the 175 Assembly constituencies, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 7 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). Additionally, four Lok Sabha constituencies are reserved for SCs and one for STs.

Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena stated that the poll schedule was crafted considering various factors such as climatic conditions, academic calendar, board examinations, major festivals, law and order situation, availability of security forces, and ground realities.

The state requires 1,14,950 civil police personnel, 58 companies of Special Armed Police (SAP), and 465 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) for the election process.

Chief Electoral Officer M.K. Meena of Andhra Pradesh

As of March 16, 2024, Andhra Pradesh has 4,09,37,352 voters, including 2,00,84,276 males, 2,08,49,730 females, and 3,346 third gender individuals. The state boasts 46,165 polling stations, with 34,120 in rural areas and 12,045 in urban areas, averaging 887 electors per polling station.

The Election Commission plans to set up 179 polling stations managed entirely by women, 63 stations run by persons with disabilities, and 50 stations operated by youth. Additionally, 555 model polling stations will be established.

To assist voters, Voter Information Slips containing details like polling station, date, and time will be issued without photographs but with a QR code. These slips will be distributed to all enrolled electors at least five days before polling day.

Regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), a total of 1,43,037 Ballot Units, 1,15,410 Control Units, and 1,37,190 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be used, with 3,82,219 personnel deployed for polling duties.

The Commission plans to deploy 50 general observers, 115 expenditure observers, and 13 police observers to oversee the electoral process.

CEO Meena disclosed that authorities had seized cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, and other items worth over Rs 164 crore until March 11, with inter-state check posts established along borders to curb malpractices.

Elections 2024: Full Schedule of Lok Sabha, 4 State Assemblies announced in 7 Phases; Counting on June 4

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the 543 parliamentary constituencies for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, marking the commencement of the world’s largest democratic exercise encompassing 96.8 crore voters, including 21.5 crore young voters aged between 18 to 29 years.

Additionally, the election schedule for four state assemblies was announced, comprising Sikkim (32 seats), Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats), Andhra Pradesh (175 seats), and Odisha (147 seats).

Polling in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the Northeastern region is slated for April 19, while Andhra Pradesh will witness elections on May 13. Odisha’s elections will be conducted over four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with results declared on June 4, coinciding with the announcement of Lok Sabha poll results.

The Lok Sabha elections will unfold across seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1.

Additionally, by-elections for 26 Assembly seats in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Tripura, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu will be held. The Model Code of Conduct has been enforced with immediate effect, following the announcement.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by newly appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, declared that the elections will span seven phases, mirroring the pattern from 2019.

Spanning from April 19 to June 1, the elections will unfold across 10.5 lakh polling stations, with vote counting scheduled for June 4. The phases are scheduled as follows: April 19 (Phase 1), April 26 (Phase 2), May 7 (Phase 3), May 13 (Phase 4), May 20 (Phase 5), May 25 (Phase 6), and June 1 (Phase 7).

The current term of the 17th Lok Sabha concludes on June 16. Despite widespread anticipation, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections have not been synchronized with the parliamentary elections, possibly due to security concerns in the region.

The Supreme Court has directed that elections for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir must be completed by the end of September.