Lok Sabha election 2024: India's seven-phase polls to start from April 19; results on June 4

India's seven-phase Lok Sabha general election 2024 will start on April 19, while the results are scheduled to be declared on June 4.

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule of the six-week marathon vote during a news conference in New Delhi on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.

According to the poll panel’s data, approximately 970 million voters, more than the entire population of the United States, the European Union and Russia combined, will cast votes in the Indian Elections 2024, making it the largest democratic exercise in the world.

“We will take democracy to every corner of the country,” Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner said as he announced the voting dates. “It is our promise to deliver a national election in a manner that we … remain a beacon for democracy around the world.”

Seeking a third straight term in the vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expecting a target of 370 seats for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

In addition, 400-plus is expected for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJP heads in the 543-member lower house of parliament.

The BJP is said to have won 303 seats in 2019, which is regarded as the most ever for the Hindu nationalist party which was founded in 1980.

However, the alliance, which was formed last year, is struggling to stay united, and friendly and share seats with BJP, carrying out a one-to-one fight against the Hindu nationalist party.