Bhubaneswar: The much-awaited schedule for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls was announced by the Election Commission on Sunday, with which the Model Code of Conduct for Governments and political parties came into force.
Elections will be held in four phases in Odisha on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. While four Lok Sabha segments will go for polls in the first phase on April 11, five seats will go for elections in second phase on April 18 and six seats each on April 23 and 29, in third and fourth phases, respectively. Assembly elections will be held simultaneously. Election to the 147 Assembly seats will be held as per the Parliamentary constituencies.
The counting of votes will be held on May 23. The State has 21 Parliamentary Constituencies and 147 Assembly segments.
The schedule was announced at a press conference at the Vigyan Bhawan by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora along with two Election Commissioners.
At least 37,606 polling stations will be set up in Odisha for elections, informed Arora.
The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3 while the term of the Odisha Assembly on June 11.
Around 900 million electorates are eligible to vote in this Lok Sabha election, of which 15 million voters are in the 18-19 age groups, said the CEC. He said that at least 10 lakh polling stations will to be set up across the country for the elections.
