- The world's biggest democracy will vote for the next government from April 11 to May 19.
- The voting will be held in seven phases through 29 states and seven union territories.
- In 2019, Nearly 900 million people are expected to vote to send 543 representatives Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.
Elections to four state assemblies will be held simultaneously with the Parliament elections
In a first for the country, voting for the four state legislatures, as well as bypolls, will be held alongside with the election for the Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for simultaneous elections for both state and central legislatures, but the proposal has faced severe political opposition.
Nearly 900 million voters are expected to turn out this year, compared to 814.5 million in 2014. The number of polling stations will be increased from 900,000 in 2014 to 1 million this year. 16 million new voters will be between the age of 18 and 19, compared to 23.1 million in 2014.
1.7 million voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will be in use after a series of allegations of foul play in many state polls in the run up to the general elections in 2019. VVPAT is a second line of independent verification via a printer machine, which is attached to electronic voting machines.
When a voter presses the button against the party symbol of their choice on the electronic voting machine (EVM), a paper slip is printed through VVPAT. The slip would contain the poll symbol and name of the candidate and allows voters to verify if their vote has gone to the intended candidate. After the voter views the slip, that slip will be dropped inside a sealed box linked to the EVM.
"The Model Code of Conduct comes into effect from today itself in the entire country. Any violation will be dealt with in the strictest manner,"
| Date of polling | Constituencies | States/Union Territories |
| 11-Apr | 91 | 20 |
| 18-Apr | 97 | 13 |
| 23-Apr | 115 | 14 |
| 29-Apr | 71 | 9 |
| 6-May | 51 | 7 |
| 12-May | 59 | 7 |
| 19-May | 59 | 8 |
The big question in front of the election watchdog is the campaigning by political parties on social media, which has been difficult to regulate especially after the deadlines set by the Commission. However, the election commissioner did not have a clear answer on how it plans to ensure that vote seeking does not continue on social media in the last 48 hours before the polling begins. Physical campaigning is allowed during this period.
Strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir, the northern state that shares the border with Pakistan, will witness polling in five phases amidst heightened security. The armies of the two countries have been trading fire, a lot more than usual in the last few weeks ever since the terror attack in Pulwama, Kashmir that killed over 40 Indian security personnel in February.
| States | Polling Dates |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | April 11 |
| Andhra Pradesh | April 11 |
| Arunachal | April 11 |
| Assam | April 11, 18, 23 |
| Bihar | April 11, 18, 23, 29 & May 6, 12, 19 |
| Chandigarh | May 12 |
| Chhatisgarh | April 11, 18, 23 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | April 23 |
| Daman and Diu | April 23 |
| Delhi | May 12 |
| Goa | April 23 |
| Gujarat | April 23 |
| Haryana | May 12 |
| Himachal Pradesh | May 19 |
| Jammu Kashmir | April 11, 18, 23, 29, & May 6 |
| Jharkhand | April 29 & May 6, 12, 19 |
| Karnataka | April 18, 23 |
| Kerala | April 23 |
| Lakshadweep | April 11 |
| Madhya Pradesh | April 11, & May 6, 12, 19 |
| Maharashtra | April 11, 18, 23, 29, |
| Manipur | April 11, 18, |
| Meghalaya | April 11 |
| Mizoram | April 11 |
| Nagaland | April 11 |
| Odisha | April 11, 18, 23, 29, |
| Puducherry | April 18 |
| Punjab | May 19 |
| Rajasthan | April 29 & May 6 |
| Sikkim | April 11 |
| Tamil Nadu | April 18 |
| Telengana | April 11 |
| Tripura | April 11, 18 |
| Uttar Pradesh | April 11, 18, 23, 29 & May 6, 12 |
| Uttarakhand | April 11 |
| West Bengal | April 11, 18, 23, 29 & May 6, 12, 19 |
See also :
BJP spends too much on political advertising on Facebook as Congress spends too little — yet again