India’s Lok Sabha polls announced

The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections. 

The polls will be held from April 19 to June 1 in seven phases.

The results will be declared on June 4, according to the schedule to be announced on Saturday.

With this, the Model Code of Conduct will now come into effect. 

Four states, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will also be holding simultaneous Assembly elections.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government is hoping to clinch a rare third term, while the Opposition, loosely stringed under the INDIA bloc, are hopeful of making a dent in the NDA’s scorecard.

The Model Code of Conduct, which bars the government in power from announcing any new policy decisions, comes into effect immediately after the announcement.