 "Election Commission")
Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer on Tuesday clarified that an internal note stating that the Lok Sabha polls could be held on April 16 was only for indicative purposes for the officials to plan the activities related to the General Elections and should not be construed as the polling date for the seven seats of Delhi.
The internal note circulated by the office of Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer with April 16 as the tentative "poll date" to help officials schedule various activities "in the build-up" to the Lok Sabha elections bolstered speculation that the Lok Sabha polls could be advanced by a couple of weeks since Delhi voted in the latter half of the multi-phase election in 2019.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which took place over seven phases from April 11 to May 19, voting for Delhi's seven seats took place in the sixth phase on May 12. However, in the polling for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which took place over nine phases from April 7 to May 12, Delhi voted in the third phase on April 10. In 2009, Delhi voted in the fifth, the penultimate phase, on May 7.
In 2019, the elections were announced on March 10, while they were announced on March 5 in 2014. "Some media queries are coming referring to a circular by @CeodelhiOffice to clarify whether April 16 is a tentative poll day for Lok Sabha elections. It is clarified that this date was mentioned only for 'reference' for officials to plan activities as per Election Planner of the Election Commission of India," the CEO office posted on Twitter.
