Today in Politics: EC to announce Lok Sabha poll schedule 3 pm onwards, PM Modi on Kharge turf

The biggest political story of the day will be the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule at a press conference from 3 pm onwards.

In 2019, the ECI announced the poll schedule on March 10, which included polling in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, and counting of votes on May 23. Bihar, UP and West Bengal had the longest voting schedule across all seven phases five years ago and it remains to be seen which states again have the longest voting schedule.

In West Bengal, there is a possibility of the voting again being extended over several phases. In 2014, which was a 10-phase election, the election in Bengal was held over five phases, among the highest behind UP at six. This time,West Bengal is a crucial battleground and the EC has sanctioned 920 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for deployment in Bengal. It is the highest among all states and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur. Elections in West Bengal often tend to witness widespread violence. Both the 2021 Assembly elections and the three-tier panchayat polls last year saw violence.

According to sources, the poll panel has sanctioned 635 CAPF units for Jammu and Kashmir, 360 for Chhattisgarh, 295 for Bihar, 252 companies for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, 250 for Jharkhand, 200 for Manipur, Gujarat and Rajasthan, 150 for Maharashtra, and 113 for Madhya Pradesh.

Follow the election announcement live from 3 pm onwards:

Where Modi is today

An hour before the poll schedule is out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s home turf Kalaburagi to address a mega public meeting.

Kharge represented the Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency for two terms starting in 2009 but lost five years ago to the