Lok Sabha elections 2009 will be held on a single day 30th April in Gujarat. Gujarat has 26 seats of Lok Sabha including Gandhinagar from where National Democratic Alliance’s Prime Ministerial candidate L.K.Advani will be contesting. Gujarat has 3.63 crore voters as per the final list. Counting of votes will start on 16th of May.

Chief Election Commissioner N.Gopalasawmai in a press conference at Delhi said today that “Election in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh will be held in five phases, Bihar in four phases, Maharashtra and West Bengal in three phases, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab in two phases. Elections in rest of the 15 states and Union Territories will be held in one phase.”

Important dates for Gujarat

Announcement and Issue of Press Note 2-March-2009(Monday)
Issue of Notification 2-April-2009(Thursday)
Last date for filling nominations 9-April-2009(Thursday)
Scrutiny of nominations 10-April-2009(Friday)
Last date for withdrawal of candidature 13-April-2009(Monday)
Date of Poll 30-April-2009(Thursday)
Counting of Votes on 16-May-2009(Saturday)

Country’s only one single voter poling station in Gujarat

Chief Election Commissioner while addressing the media today said that “There is one polling station in Gujarat’s Junagadh district which has only one voter. This polling stations falls under Asiatic Lions fame Gir forest area. We are setting up a polling station for even one voter, that is our size of commitment.”

Complete nationwide schedule of Loksabha elections

Lok Sabha election will be held in five phases starting from 16th of April, 2009. Election in Gujarat will be held in third phase.

Election dates and states:

-Schedule 5B is only for Uttar Pradesh (separate schedule was required due to holiday on 27-Apr, 2009)
-General Elections – 2009 – Statement – A
-Schedule 2A in only for Manipur (separate schedule was required due to holiday on 23-Apr-2009)
-Schedule 3B is only for Jammu & Kashmir (separate schedule was required due to holidays on 13 and 14-Apr, 2009)
-Schedule 3C is only for Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Sikkim (separate schedule was required since 10-Apr, 2009 is not a holiday in these -States but is a holiday in other States in this phase)

Phase One April16: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep. March 23: Issue of notification. March 30: Last date of filing nominations. March 31: Scrutiny of nomination. April 2: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (A) April 22: Manipur. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (B) April 23: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Three April 30: Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Sikkim, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.

Phase three (A): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nomination. April 11: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (B): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 15: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (C): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Four May 7: Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi. April 11: Issue of notification. April 18: Last date of filing of nomination. April 20: Scrutiny of nomination. April 22: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Five May 13: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh.

Phase Five (A): April 17:Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 27: Last date of withdrawal of nomination

Phase Five (B): April 17:Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 28: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Break up of seats: Phase One: 124. Phase Two: 141. Phase three: 107. Phase Four: 85. Phase Five: 86. Counting: May 16.

All election related procedures are to be completed before May 28.

Highlights of the press conference by the Chief Election Commissioner

#Lok Sabha elections will be held for 543 seats in the country
#Over 71 crore Voters will exercise their franchise
#Assembly elections will be held in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim
#Election will be held in five phases
#The election dates will be April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13
#Number of constituencies to go into polls on each election date – April 16 (124), April 23 (141), April 30 (107), May 07 (85) and May 13 (86)
#Counting of votes will take place on May 16. Results will be announced on the same day
#40 lakh employees to be involved in poll duties
#There will be over 8 lakh polling booths
#21 lakh security personnel to be deployed across the country during the elections
#Out of 543, 499 seats went for delimitation
#4.3 lakh new voters added to the electorate
#11 lakh EVMs to be used in the elections

Gujarat’s Parliament constituencies map based on new delimitation