Election Commission to announce dates for Lok Sabha polls at 5 pm today; schedule for four Assembly elections also expected

The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha election at 5 pm on Sunday. The polls are expected to be spread over seven to eight phases during the months of April and May Sources in the Election Commission had said on Friday that the poll panel was in the final stages of completing logistical preparations. On Thursday, the Congress released its first list of 15 candidates who will contest the parliamentary elections. The list featured the names of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who will contest the polls, once again, from Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively. [caption id=“attachment_5608641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] According to reports, the Election Commission, on Sunday, may also announce the dates for the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh along with the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls. Elections are also due by May in Jammu and Kashmir, where Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly in November 2018. The poll panel is bound to hold fresh elections in a state within six months of the dissolution of its Assembly. Voting for the Lok Sabha election will be held at nearly 10 lakh polling stations across 543 constituencies. The dates of the 2014 general election were announced on 5 March, 2014. They were held over nine phases, with the first one beginning on 7 April and the last one on 12 May. The term of the current Lok Sabha ends on 3 June. Follow LIVE updates on the announcement