Karnataka to vote in 2 phases, Tamil Nadu, Kerala in single phase on Apr 19, 26

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced that the much-awaited Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, starting April 19 and would culminate on June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4. The phase 1 polling will be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, third phase on May 7, fourth phase on May 13, 5th phase on May 20, 6th phase on May 25 and the last and the 7th phase on June 1.
Follow LIVE Updates
The southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 19 and April 26, respectively, while Karnataka will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7.
The poll schedule announcement has set a tone for an exciting contest in these southern states which together send 87 members to the lower house of the Parliament.
Issue of notification: March 20
Last date of notification: March 27
Scrutiny of nomination: March 28
Last date of withdrawal of candidature: March 30
Date of poll: April 19
In Tamil Nadu, BJP stitched an alliance with the Tamil Maanila Congress after the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) snapped its ties with the saffron party. The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has sealed a seat-sharing deal with the Congress and filmmaker Kamal Haassan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam for Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Issue of notification: March 28
Last date of notification: April 4
Scrutiny of nomination: April 5
Last date of withdrawal of candidature: April 8
Date of poll: April 26
Kerala’s hill constituency of Wayanad shot to fame after the Congress fielded Gandhi from here in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. is candidacy in Wayanad was a source of energy for the state’s Congress-led UDF then. Riding on the “Rahul wave” among various other factors, the UDF then won 19 out of a total of 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.
Issue of notification: March 28, April 12
Last date of notification: April 4, April 19
Scrutiny of nomination: April 5, April 20
Last date of withdrawal of candidature: April 8, April 22
Date of poll: April 26, May 7
In 2019, the BJP defeated the ruling Congress-JDS alliance. However, the political scene changed in the 2023 assembly elections, with the Congress scoring a thumping victory.
It is pertinent to note that the politics in South India is typically dominated by regional parties, not by the national parties including Congress, BJP, and CPI(M). However, these political parties have been successful in forging alliances with regional players.