On March 15, 2024, the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the next (18th) Lok Sabha elections. The general elections will start on April 19 and the process will be completed in seven phases in 44 days till 1 June 2024. The results will be out on June 4, 2024. Figure 1 and Table 1 show the timeline of the elections.[1] Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) have intensified their electoral campaigns and are propagating their narratives to garner popular support. While both parties are waging their campaigns across the country, certain controversial measures taken by the ruling BJP are creating obstacles for the opposition in having a level-playing field.
