India's general elections to start from April 7

NEW DELHI - India will go to polls on April 7 this year, the country's independent Election Commission announced Wednesday.

The nine-phase general elections will be held from April 7 to May 12 while results are to be declared on May 16, India's Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath told the media in the national capital.

Some 814 million people will cast their ballots to elect some 543 Members in the Lower House of Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha), nearly 100 million more than in 2009.

"With our announcement of the schedule, the model code of conduct comes into force with immediate effect," Sampath said.

This means that neither the central government nor any state government will be able to announce any policy till the next government is formed in this country.

The long election schedule is meant to ensure that security forces can be moved across the country for adequate deployment in sensitive areas.

The elections will witness a battle between the ruling Congress- led United Progressive Alliance and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance.

While the corruption-tainted Congress party is seeking a comeback in power under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the BJP hopes to form the next government with controversial politician Narendra Modi as the prime minister.

According to opinion polls, the BJP is likely to emerge as the single largest party while the anti-graft activist Arvind Kejriwal- led Aam Aadmi Party is seen as an unpredictable element in the elections.

Since 1989, India has only been ruled by an alliance as no single party won majority.

Highlights

Roughly 814.5 million people are registered to vote, an increase of more than 100 million since the last parliamentary election in 2009.

Of those, over 23 million are between 18 to 19 years old. A surge in enrollment in this age group means they now constitute 2.88 percent of total voters, against 0.75 percent in 2009.

Election dates in parliamentary constituencies were set taking into consideration extreme summer heat, monsoon rains, harvest seasons, religious festivals and most importantly, school exams. Most polling stations are placed in schools.

Voters will cast their ballots in about 930,000 polling stations, an increase of nearly 12 percent since 2009.

For the first time in a general election, voters will have a "None of the Above" option on the ballot papers and electronic voting machines. The option was brought in last year in response to activist groups who said voters were too often forced to choose between several candidates with criminal backgrounds.

To curb "the abuse of money power" during the elections, "flying squads" and static surveillance teams will guard against the distribution of cash or other bribes to voters. Committees will also keep their eyes peeled for illegal election advertisements and politically funded stories planted in the media.

The income tax department and the government's financial intelligence unit have been instructed to keep watch on the movement of cash during elections. In previous elections, political operatives were caught driving with suitcases packed with cash in their car trunks.

The Election Commission will monitor production, storage and distribution of liquor during elections. Indian political parties are notorious for handing out alcohol and even prescription medication as bribes to voters.

Transgender persons can for mark their gender as "Others" on the electoral rolls, a category that did not exist in 2009. 28,314 voters have listed their gender in this way.

Booth officers will do door to door surveys to prepare a list of voters found absent at their home in an effort to prevent impersonation. Dead voters and those who have moved from their homes will be added to a list to check against the rolls to ensure no foul play on voting day.