Lok Sabha polls: Interesting points to note

New Delhi, Mar 5: The election commission of India announced the dates of Lok Sabha election 2014 today. Here are a few interesting points to know about the world's biggest elections:

• Held in 9 phases, starting from April 7 till May 12, this will be the first elections in the country held over such a long period. The 2009 elections were held in 5 phases.

• An estimated 81.4 crore voters will be eligible to vote in the coming elections with 9.71 crore (around 10% of the total electorate) new voters being added to the rolls since the last elections.

• A total of 1.1 crore poll personnel, half of security personnel, will be deployed to ensure fair polls. Also, around 5.5 million civilians would be deployed to conduct the polls.

• Here is another first - For the first time in parliamentary elections, a system of paper trail for electronic voting will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis.

• Also, for the first time in Lok Sabha elections, NOTA (None of the above) option will be provided to voters along with appropriate instructions. Apart from this, voters will also be provided with 'photo voter slips' for identification.

• About 800,000 polling stations will be set up across the country and around 1.2 million electronic voting machines will be used in the election.

• Maximum number of constituencies (142) going for poll on 5th poll day, on April 17 Elections in Bihar, which has 40 LS seats, and UP, which has 80 seats, will be done in a record 6 phase polls.

• Minimum number of constituencies (7) going for poll on 1st poll day, on April 7.

• Maximum number of States (14) to go for poll on April 10, 3rd poll day, covering 92 constituencies.

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