NEW DELHI, March 2: India on Monday announced a five-stage punishing parliamentary election from April 16 to May 13. Results would be announced immediately after the counting of votes on May 16.

With no single party expecting to gain power on their own, the elections will see a keenly fought three-cornered contest between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the Left Front-led Third Front.

The last grouping is likely to play the kingmakers in the event of inconclusive verdict.

The outcome could be decided, therefore, not by the race alone, but also by the inevitable horse-trading should the more than 700 million voters return a hung parliament. The Congress has so far projected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as its candidate but he has never won an election to the Lok Sabha. It is to be seen if he picks up the courage to enter the grueling fray or prefer his safe borough in the Rajya Sabha.

For the opposition NDA, former home minister Lal Kishan Advani is the prime ministerial hopeful.

Analysts are of the view that little to no progress is likely to be seen towards any rapporchement with Pakistan until the polls are over.

Howeevr, Indian and Pakistani relations are known to take a sudden turn, indiciative of a worsening of ties and or even a dramatic new engagement.

Announcing the dates Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said that although the voting would take place on six days, it would be counted as a five-phase election as voting in Manipur would take place on April 22 due to a local holiday on April 23.

Mr Gopalaswami said that 124 constituencies would vote on April 16, followed by 141 on April 23, 107 on April 30, 85 on May 7 and 86 on May 13.

Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh will vote in five phases, Bihar will have four-phase elections while Maharashtra and West Bengal will vote in three phases.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Punjab will hold the elections in two phases. Fifteen states and seven Union Territories will go in for one-phase voting.

Nearly four million civil personnel and just over two million police personnel would be used for elections, Mr Gopalaswami said. The delimitation of parliamentary constituencies is over except for Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. Out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, 499 have been redrawn following the delimitation.

There are a total of 714 million voters and 43 million of them will be eligible to vote for the first time. For the first time photo electoral rolls will be used in 522 out of the 543 constituencies.

There will be 828,804 polling stations for the General Elections and the Election Commission will be using more than a million electronic voting machines.

The term of the 14th Lok Sabha ends on June 1, 2009, so the new Lok Sabha will have to be constituted by then.

Elections to state assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Orissa will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.
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