“Voting is for older people, not for me.” I heard a friend casually say and it got me thinking. We, as individuals have the chance to choose a government that we actually want—are we really going to be laid back and not going to make our voice known in a critical situation like this? I don’t think so. TBH, as the ‘younger generation’ it might seem cool to not care about things like this, but let me break it to you—your votes can make or break the way our country functions. Our individual votes will determine how our country will function for the coming years and that is an important, important responsibility. 50% of India’s population is below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35—and by 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years. (source: Wikipedia)
As the youth of this nation, we have the most power to build our government to what we want it to be. So for the general elections, you gotta realise that you have a lot of power in your hands. Chances are you know a lot about the way our country’s elections work, but some might not have any clue. What’s about to follow is for the benefit of the latter. Keep scrolling to see.
“Do I really need to vote?”
Yes, yes you do. When you vote you’re basically fulfilling your fundamental duty as a citizen of this country.
“Who Am I Voting For Tho?”
You are voting for individuals that will comprise of the Lok Sabha aka House of the People aka the lower house of India’s Parliament. Each representative who wins by direct election becomes a ‘Member of Parliament’ and holds office in the Lok Sabha for the next five years, unless sooner dissolved.
“But, like, What Does The Lok Sabha Do?”
This part of the union legislature is directly responsible for the way our country (you and I) function. Think, money bills, exercising day-to-day scrutiny over the activities of the Government, amending provisions of the Constitution, and also the election of our President amongst other things.
Pretty damn important, right?
“So what makes me eligible to choose who gets to be in the Lok Sabha?”
- Being a citizen of India
- Being at least 18 years old.
- Residing in the polling area of the constituency where you can vote.
“But what if I don’t live there anymore?”
You might be studying or working in a place which isn’t the same address as your voter’s ID but that doesn’t mean you aren’t eligible to vote anymore. Here’s how you can still cast your vote in a different constituency:
You can register yourself for a new constituency by filling Form 6. You can find this on the NVSP website here. For this, you will need to submit proof of your new address along with the form. If you don’t want to opt for the online route, you can submit this same form to the Electoral Registration Officer/Assistant Electoral Registration Officer of your new residence. (Source: https://eci.gov.in/faqs/)
But before you head out and vote in phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections you gotta check and see if your name appears in the voter’s list. If your name appears in it, you are eligible to vote but if not, you will not be able to exercise your vote.
Deadlines and Key Dates
Here’s a lowdown on the key dates on for the following constituencies.
Phase 1 – 11th Apr
Andhra (25), Arunachal (2), Assam (5), Bihar (4), Chhattisgarh (1), Jammu & Kashmir (2), Maharashtra (7), Manipur (1), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Odisha (4), Sikkim (1), Telangana (17), Tripura (1), UP (8), Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (2), Andaman (1), Lakshadweep (1)
| Date of notification | March 18 (Monday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | March 25 (Monday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | March 26 (Tuesday) |
| Polling date | April 11 (Thursday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 2 – 18th April
Assam (5), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (3), Jammu & Kashmir (2), Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (10), Manipur (1), Odisha (5), Tamil Nadu (39), Tripura (1), UP (8), West Bengal (3), Puducherry (1)
|
Phase II | |
| Date of notification | March 19 (Tuesday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | March 26 (Tuesday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | March 27 (Wednesday) |
| Polling date | April 18 (Thursday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 3 – 23rd April
Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Gujarat (26), Goa (2), Jammu & Kashmir (1), Karnataka (14), Kerala (20), Maharashtra (14), Odisha (6), UP (10), West Bengal (5), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1), Daman and Diu (1)
|
Phase III | |
| Date of notification | March 28 (Thursday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | April 4 (Thursday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | April 5 (Friday) |
| Polling date | April 23 (Tuesday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 4 – 29th April
Bihar (5), J&K (1), Jharkhand (3), MP (6), Maharashtra (17), Odisha (6), Rajasthan (13), UP (13), West Bengal (8)
|
Phase IV | |
| Date of notification | April 2 (Tuesday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | April 9 (Tuesday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | April 10 (Wednesday) |
| Polling date | April 29 (Monday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 5 – 6th May
Bihar (5), J&K (2), Jharkhand (4), MP (7), Rajasthan (12), UP (14), West Bengal (7)
|
Phase V | |
| Date of notification | April 10 (Wednesday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | April 18 (Thursday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | April 20 (Saturday) |
| Polling date | May 6 (Monday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 6 – 12th May
Bihar (8), Haryana (10), Jharkhand (4), MP (8), UP (14), West Bengal (8), Delhi-NCR (7)
|
Phase VI | |
| Date of notification | April 16 (Tuesday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | April 23 (Tuesday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | April 24 (Wednesday) |
| Polling date | May 12 (Sunday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Phase 7 – 19th May
Bihar (8), Jharkhand (3), MP (8), Punjab (13), West Bengal (9), Chandigarh (1), UP (13), Himachal (4)
|
Phase VII | |
| Date of notification | April 22 (Monday) |
| Last date of filing nomination | April 29 (Monday) |
| Scrutiny of nominations | April 30 (Tuesday) |
| Polling date | May 19 (Sunday) |
| Result | May 23 (Thursday) |
Source: India Today
A total of 91 parliamentary constituencies spread across 20 states have begun voting today. The counting of these votes will be done on 23rd of May. The responsibility to choose a good government is in your hands—choose wisely!