APD | India prepares for elections

By APD writer Rishika chauhan

NEW DELHI, Mar. 24 (APD) -- India’s prominent political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress along with other national and regional parties have started preparing for the upcoming general elections.

Monday is the last day for filing of nominations for the parliamentary elections. 

So far the BJP had announced candidates for 297 constituencies in the lower house, the Lok Sabha and the Congress has for 218 of them. 

Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress have also finalised their alliances in different provinces of the country. 

The Congress has decided to work with Sharad Pawar of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Bihar, while the BJP has shortlisted the regional parties it would partner in the province.

Among the candidates chosen by the Congress party are three former chief ministers, Digvijaya Singh, Ashok Chavan and Harish Rawat and former Union ministers Mallikarjun Kharge and M Veerappa Moily. 

The parties have also made strategies for active campaigning and holding rallies across the country.

On March 24, and March 26, the BJP will be holding many events throughout the country, which will be attended by eminent BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj.

The Election Commission of India announced the election dates in the first week of March. 

Voting will take place in seven phases across the country and would begin on April 11. The result of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared on May 23. 

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)