Moments after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the General Elections 2024 to the 18th Lok Sabha, Legislative Assemblies of four states and bye elections in 21 Assembly Constituencies, Prime Minister said that the BJP-NDA was “fully prepared for elections”.
The EC announced that the elections will be conducted in seven phases in a span of two and half months from 19th April to 2nd June. All counting of votes will take place on 4th June, EC said.
In a string of posts on X, Modi said that his Party is going to the “people on the basis of our track record of good governance and service delivery across sectors.” He claimed that in the last 10 years, there has been a “glorious turnaround” under the NDA from the previous government that left no sector “untouched from scams and policy paralysis”.
“In our third term, there’s much work to be done,” PM Modi also said, assuring war against poverty, corruption, work for social justice and youth.
Read more: EC promises General Elections 2024 will be ‘a beckon for electoral democracies across world’
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in his message said that this upcoming election “would be perhaps the last chance to save Democracy and our Constitution from Dictatorship.” He urged that ‘We the people of India’ fight together against hatred, loot, unemployment, price rise and atrocities.
Kharge had also expressed concerns that the country will be under Model Code of Conduct for 70-80 days during which the budget will not be spent and all development works will be halted. He wished that the elections would have been completed in three or four phases and that the EC will conduct them fairly.
Aam Admi Party’s National Convenor and Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal said that the Lok Sabha elections is “a great festival of democracy” and appealed to all the countrymen that “this time vote against dictatorship, vote against hooliganism.”
Kejriwal also appealed people to vote for the ‘broom’ wherever Aam Aadmi Party candidates are contesting so that “we can work for you with more energy.” He said that the elections will open the door for justice.
All India Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee criticized EC for the schedule for West Bengal where it will be conducted in seven phases and called it “a deliberate attempt to disrupt the democratic process.”
Mamata Banerjee’s Party condemned the schedule saying that by elongating the election period, voter turnout decreases and political parties with more money gains more advantage.