Even as suspense is building up on when the Election Commission will declare the general elections, opinion is divided about by when the Commission has to declare the dates.

The next Lok Sabha has to be in place by June 3 as it is constitutionally mandated that the next Lok Sabha must be constituted before the end of five years from the first day of sitting of the current Lok Sabha (June 3, 2014).

The precedent that previous Commissions have been following is giving at least 10 to 12 days’ time for filing nomination from the issue of notification for a particular phase of the elections. Besides, another 7-8 days must be given, from the notification, for the candidates to file their nomination and time for withdrawing them if the need arises. As per this precedent, the candidates and parties are given at least 14 days of campaign time.

Poll dates, a challenge

Given that the country will have multi-phased elections, deciding on the date announcing the polls becomes a challenge. It is generally felt that if the elections dates are announced well in advance, it provides a level playing field for all the contesting parties and candidates.

In 2014, elections were declared on March 5 and polling for the nine phases was held between April 7 and May 12. In 2009, the elections were announced on March 2 and polling was held in five phases between April 16 and May 13.

However, there is nothing binding about the time frame that the Commission has to follow. “It is a question of how much time the Commission wants to give to all parties to campaign and as well as prepare for it so that there is a level playing field. It is more a moral question,” says a former EC official.

The longer that the Commission takes to declare the elections, the more time it gives the government to announce schemes and other developmental work which can then be used as a part of its poll campaign. These announcements have to stop once the Commission declares the dates and the moral code of conduct kicks in.

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