The Hindu Business Line : Polls to be held on April 20, 26 and May 5, 10

THE Election Commission has finalised the poll schedule for the 14th Lok Sabha, to be held in four phases on April 20, 26, May 5 and 10 along with Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Karnakata, Orissa and Sikkim.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13 all over the country except in Andhra Pradesh where it may be advanced by a day.

Releasing the schedule after a meeting of the full commission, the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr T.S. Krishnamurthy, said polling will be held in four phases in Jammu and Kashmir, three in Bihar and UP, two in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur and Orissa and in a single phase in all the other 24 States and Union Territories.

Notifications for the four stages would be issued on March 24, 31, April 8 and 16 respectively.

The last date for filing of nominations would be March 31, April 7, 15 and 23.

Scrutiny will be conducted in five phases on April one, two, eight, 16 and 24.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been divided into five stages — April 3, 5, 10, 19 and 26.

Mr Krishnamurthy noted that electronic voting machines (EVM) would be used in all constituencies to ensure secrecy and total neutrality.

This would be for the first time in India's electoral history that EVMs would be used in all the parliamentary constituencies.

"As many as 1.075 million EVMs would be used during four-phase Lok Sabha polls and simultaneous elections to four assemblies," he noted.