CEC Sunil Arora meets Special Central Observers for J&K tasked with assessing situation ahead of Lok Sabha 2019 polls

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sunil Arora held a meeting in the National Capital with the Special Central Observers who are overlooked to assess the situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Lok Sabha 2019 polls.

Dr. Noor Mohammad, Vinod Zutshi and A.S.Gill, who were all appointed by the Election Commission and form the Special Central Observers, spoke in detail with the CEC and were apprised about their roles and responsibilities.

Further, the trio were requested by the CEC to visit the state of J&K at the earliest, a request which they gracefully accepted. The Special Central Observes will be tasked with meeting political parties, state authorities and reviewing the preparedness of the elections in the state.

The Election Commission on Sunday announced the dates of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The General elections will be held for 543 Lok Sabha seats on nearly 10 lakh polling booths across the country which higher compared to 9 lakh in 2014, with 84 million more voters will be casting their vote this time, announced the CEC Sunil Arora.

READ: Lok Sabha 2019 Election Dates: Counting To Be Held On 23 May - Here's The Full Schedule For The 2019 Parliamentary Polls For All Phases As Announced By The Election Commission

The applicability of the Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct commenced on Sunday itself. It is scheduled to regulate political parties and political candidates before the elections. The rules apply to issues relating speeches, polling day, booth, the content of election manifestos and a general code. This code of conduct stays in force from the date of announcement to the day of result. 

Election is going to take place in seven phases instead of 9 as compared to 2014 elections. The first phase would be held on April 11, while the final phase would be held on May 19, four days before the counting of votes take place.

READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2019 | Voting Dates In Jammu And Kashmir: Here's When You Can Vote In Jammu And Kashmir For Each Constituency And Phase

The state of Jammu & Kashmir will have voting in five phases. On April 11, 18 and May 6, voting will be done on two seats each. On April 25 and 29, voting will be done in one seat each.