EXCLUSIVE! Lok Sabha polls in 5 phases in April; counting on May 16

Election Commission has drawn up a tentative schedule for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.  

Renu Mittal details the roadmap till June 1 when the new administration takes over.  

The Election Commission is learnt to have finalised a tentative schedule for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, likely to be held in five phases between April 16 and May 13 and concluding with the counting of votes on May 16.

After that the process of constitution of the Lok Sabha and the formation of a new government would be completed within a week.

EC sources disclose that the tentative time-table has been drawn up keeping in mind the school annual examinations, which would be over by March end, the marriage season, farmers’ schedules, etc.

While the election dates would be officially announced in the first week of March, sources say that 124 seats would go to the polls on April 16.

The second phase would be on April 22 or 23 where 141 seats would go to the polls.

The third phase would be on April 30 with 107 seats going to the polls.

The fourth phase would be on May 7 with 85 seats going to the polls.

The fifth and final phase would be on May 13 with 86 seats going to the polls.

The EC has identified sensitive areas, particularly the Maoist-hit belts, which would go to the polls first to make it easier for the paramilitary forces to move to other areas after polling is over.

The Winter session of Parliament, which has been adjourned sine die and not prorogued, will reassemble possibly in the first week of February as the government has to pass a vote on account.

Along with that the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is very keen to pass some bills aimed at eliminating corruption, with the ruling party fully determined to go ahead and try and pass as many bills as possible before the curtains come down on UPA II and the country moves into election mode.

Normally, the first session of the New Year is the budget session which kicks off with the President’s address where he outlines the priorities and initiatives of his government for the year ahead. But because the government would not be presenting a full budget and is on the verge of completing its five year term, the vote on account would be taken in the second half of the Winter session which has not been prorogued. It would be a continuation of the Winter session held in December.

The President would address the two Houses of Parliament after the new government takes office and Parliament is convened, possibly on June 1 by which time the new Lok Sabha would have to be constituted.

That would be the budget session where the President would outline the priorities of the new government which has been elected and has taken oath.

Manmohan Singh would not be the prime minister after the results are out on May 16.

The Congress is likely to announce Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate on January 17 at its All India Congress Committee meeting at Talkatora Gardens and from then on the congress would move into election mode.

Similarly other political parties would also move into preparing for the elections.

Once the notification is made and the code of conduct is in place, the government of the day becomes a caretaker government and continues with the full cabinet till the day of the results when the prime minister submits his resignation to the president and the process of swearing in a new government begins.