First phase of the Lok Sabha election is likely to be held in the second week of April and the last phase in the second week of May, according to a report by the Deccan Herald.

The counting of votes could be held in the third or fourth week of May, the report adds.

Held in nine phases between April 7 and May 12, the 2014 general elections were the longest polls in the country’s history. Counting of votes happened on May 16, 2014.

The Election Commission of India (EC) is collecting details of festival dates and school examinations before finalizing the election schedule. The poll panel would ensure that the dates do not clash with festivals in the states as well as the school examination, the report suggests.

The process started after the final electoral roll was out following the 2019 summary revision. The EC is likely to announce the dates for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by the middle of March.

In 2014, Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a sweeping victory, taking 336 out of the 543 contested seats. Out of these, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 282 seats. NDA is aiming to retain power. Indian National Congress and other opposition parties are hoping to stitch together a ‘Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)’ to take on the NDA.

While opinion polls suggest that the NDA is ahead, the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, has been resurgent since defeating the BJP in one-on-one contests in three ‘Hindi heartland’ states — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — in December 2018.