Lok Sabha Election 2019 dates announced: How to register to vote in India; first-time voters can visit nvsp.in to enroll themselves

Lok Sabha elections will begin on 11 April and continue for over a month till 19 May across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on 23 May, the Election Commission announced Sunday, kick-starting a mega electoral battle where the BJP will pitch for a re-election of the Modi government amid the Opposition's efforts for a united fight to unseat it.

The polling will be held on 11 April, 18 April, 23 April, 29 April, 6 May, 12 May and 19 May for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said. Assembly elections will also be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said.

However, elections for Jammu and Kashmir assembly have been deferred, the EC said citing security reasons. The state has been under President's Rule after the ruling alliance between the BJP and Peoples Democratic Party fell apart last year. The EC  is pulling all stops to make new voters register themselves on the electoral roll. For the first-time voters in India, the registration process doesn't involve visiting any government office.

Here is how you can register to vote in Indian elections by simply filling a form on the National Voters Service Portal (nvsp.in):

1. Visit (nvsp.in) and click on the link for 'Form6'. This application is also meant to be filled by those wanting to shift the constituency.

2. Choose the language preference by selecting either English, Hindi or Malayalam from the section on the upper-right side of the page. Fill the mandatory fields like name, date of birth, gender. Additional important details such as the area of domicile and your current and permanent address should also be filled.

3. Upload the voter's photograph and documents for age and address proof. Before filling the form, you should ensure that you have the scanned copies of the photograph and supporting documents on your computer.

4. The last part is on the declaration of the authenticity of the details filled in the form. Fill in the details and hit the submit button.

5. On completion of the steps, the user will receive a unique acknowledgement number through which they can track their voter registration or the status of their request to alter their constituency or address.

For already registered voters, there's an option to check their name on the electoral rolls. On the left side of the homepage, click on 'Search Your Name in Electoral Roll'.

If one needs to make corrections to the details related to them on the electoral rolls, they can click on the link for form 8 on the homepage. 

Who can register to vote in India?

All Indian citizens who are 18 years of age and above on the qualifying date are eligible to vote in India. The qualifying date is 1 January of the year of revision of electoral roll. And the voters are divided in three categories of electors: the general electors, the overseas (NRI) electors and the service electors

When is the National Voter's Day?

India celebrated the 9th National Voters' Day on 25 January as the Election Commission handed over the new voters their voter identity cards. The National Voters’ Day is celebrated all over the country on 25 January every year to mark the foundation day of Election Commission of India, which was established on 25 January, 1950.