There really is nothing in the world of voting quite like a general election in India. A new Lok Sabha is required to be inaugurated by 2 June, and as of today we now know the dates of the elections.
The Election Commission announced that the polls will be held in five stages between 16 April and 13 May.
Due to the vast administrative complexity and security requirements of Indian elections, they are spread over multiple stages, even though voting is held on just one day in any given district, given India’s first-past-the-post system.
Other items of note: Photo electoral rolls will be used for the first time in 522 out of the 543 constituencies and 499 districts have had boundary adjustments since the last election in 2004.
Details of the stages at the Hindustan Times and at the Election Commission (which has maps and other files that can be downloaded, although I was unable to open them).
Three states will vote for their own assemblies concurrently with the federal parliament: Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Sikkim.
Has there been any work on the scheduling of federal/state elections? In Australia the Commonwealth Electoral Act forbids states and territories holding elections on the same day as a federal election. I know that’s an unusually restrictive rule and its been criticized (justly, I think) for encouraging federal/state buck-passing. Several referendums on coordinating federal and state elections were defeated in the 1970s.
Seed planted by Alan — 02 March 2009 @ 21:40
Redistricting was only intra-state, while inter-state apportionment still follows the population figures of the 1971 census?
Seed planted by Bancki — 03 March 2009 @ 12:13