First phase of 2019 Lok Sabha polls likely to held in second week of April

New Delhi, Jan 6: The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the dates for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in March. The ECI is in the process of collecting details of the dates of festivals and school examinations, following which it would finalise the schedule for the elections.

While the date for the polls would be announced mid-March, the elections would be held in April and May. The polling is likely to be conducted in several phases across the country. The EC would ensure that the poll dates do not clash with the festivals in the states as well as the school examination.

A source informed that the first phase of the elections is likely to take place in the second week of April, while the last phase may take place in the second week of May 2019. In 2014, it may be recalled that in 2014, the polls were held in nine phases between April 7 and May 12.

Dates for the several state elections will be announced by the EC. Polling would take place simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha and also Jammu and Kashmir. Polling in Haryana and Maharashtra would also be held in 2019.