The declaration of the Lok Sabha elections is set to unfold through a press conference at 3 pm within New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, as confirmed by electoral officials. The event will be broadcasted live across various social media platforms of the election commission. With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct will promptly be enforced, marking the commencement of a crucial phase in India’s democratic process.

The incumbent Lok Sabha’s tenure is slated to conclude on June 16, necessitating the formation of a new House beforehand. Reflecting on the previous electoral timeline, the Lok Sabha elections were announced on March 10 last year, culminating in a seven-phase polling process commencing from April 11, with vote counting taking place on May 23.

Notably, the Electoral Commission’s announcement regarding the election schedule coincides with the induction of two newly-appointed election commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, into the electoral panel. These appointments fill the vacancies left by the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel last week and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14.

The forthcoming announcement not only heralds the beginning of electoral proceedings but also sets the stage for a compelling political showdown between the ruling NDA government, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the opposition Congress-led INDIA bloc.