Banks across seven cities, including Nagpur, will be closed on April 19. Additionally, a bank holiday will be observed in several other cities, including Chennai, Dehradun, Itanagar, Jaipur, Kohima, and Shillong. This holiday coincides with the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, which will be conducted across 102 constituencies in various states and union territories. This closure aligns with the Reserve Bank of India’s holiday calendar, facilitating the smooth conduct of voting processes nationwide.
The Lok Sabha elections, aimed at electing the 543 members of the 18 Lok Sabha, will be conducted in seven phases. The polling dates are scheduled for April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh will undergo voting across all seven phases. The process of counting the votes is set to commence on June 4.
The states where the first phase of general elections is scheduled to take place on April 19 include Maharashtra, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura.
While voting is scheduled for the first phase in multiple constituencies, a bank holiday has only been announced for seven cities according to the RBI holiday calendar.