New Delhi: India's election authorities have announced polling dates for assembly elections across four states and one Union Territory, with 17.4 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots for 824 constituencies.
Voting will be conducted at 2.19 lakh polling stations, with 25 lakh election officials deployed to oversee the exercise.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made the announcement at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday.
Poll exercise to cover 824 constituencies
Addressing the media, Kumar said elections will take place in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, with voters choosing representatives for a total of 824 assembly constituencies.
"A total of 17.4 crore voters are eligible to vote in elections to five assemblies with 824 constituencies," he said.
Kumar was flanked by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during the briefing.
According to him, voting will take place at 2.19 lakh polling stations, while around 25 lakh election officials will be deployed to conduct the polls and ensure they are carried out in a free and fair manner.
Polling schedule for states and UT
The Election Commission outlined a staggered polling schedule across the five regions.
Voting will be held on April 9 in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.
In Tamil Nadu, polling will take place on April 23.
Meanwhile, West Bengal will vote in two phases - April 23 and April 29.
The counting of votes for all five regions will take place on May 4, when results for all constituencies will be declared.
Electoral rolls key to democracy
During the press conference, Kumar underlined the importance of maintaining accurate voter lists.
"Pure electoral rolls form bedrock of our democracy and hence no eligible elector should be left out and no ineligible voter should be included in the electoral rolls," he said.
He also congratulated booth level officers (BLOs) for their work during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Kumar added that the total number of voters across the four states and the Union Territory is comparable to the population of countries such as Australia, France, South Africa, Germany and Canada.
The Chief Election Commissioner also said that representatives from poll bodies of 20 countries will visit the election-bound states to observe and experience India's "Festival of Democracy".