2019 Lok Sabha election will be held on time, hints UP Board exam schedule

The Uttar Pradesh government has on Monday announced the class 10 and class 12 board exams will be conducted from February 7 to March 2 next year, indicating that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for April-May, will be held on time.

Photo: AFP/Representational

NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has on Monday announced the class 10 and class 12 board exams will be conducted from February 7 to March 2 next year, indicating that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for April-May, will be held on time. Examinations for both class 10 and class 12 will commence on February 7. The UP Board will be completing High School exams in 14 and Intermediate exams in 16 working days. Earlier this month, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also ruled out the possibility of holding general elections before the slated schedule. “The 2019 Lok Sabha election will be held on time. There is no question of advancing the poll dates. The entire process will be over before May 15, 2019,” he told the Hindu. Amid the Centre’s push for simultaneous elections to the Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, there were speculations that the next year's general elections could be advanced to be held along with the elections to the assemblies of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and Mizoram this year end. In 2014, the Election Commission announced the poll dates on March 5. Balloting took place in nine phases between April 7 and May 12. The vote count took place on May 16. The Law Commission of India also came out strongly in support of simultaneous parliamentary and state assembly elections, stating that the process can be initiated from 2019 itself by holding 13 assembly polls along with the Lok Sabha elections. It has recommended required constitutional amendments to this effect but stressed that the number of such amendments be kept to the minimum possible.