So… here we are. Elections. The big one. And this time around, it’s even bigger. 23 dry days across the entire country, spanning 49 days in 7 phases and 2 counting days. In addition to the Lok Sabha elections, four states are voting for their state assemblies: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Telangana, running simultaneously.
Phase 1
- 17 April, Wednesday • Pre-election silence 1
- 18 April, Thursday • Pre-election silence 2
- 19 April, Friday • Polling day 3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Everywhere
Arunachal Pradesh
Everywhere
Assam
Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, Lakhimpur, and Sonitpur
Bihar
Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, and Nawada
Chhattisgarh
Bastar
Jammu & Kashmir
Udhampur
Lakshadweep
Everywhere
Madhya Pradesh
Balaghat, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Shahdol, and Sidhi
Maharashtra
Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Nagpur, and Ramtek
Manipur
Inner Manipur and parts of Outer Manipur
Meghalaya
Everywhere
Mizoram
Everywhere
Nagaland
Everywhere
Puducherry
Everywhere
Rajasthan
Alwar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Churu, Dausa, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jaipur Rural, Jhunjhunu, Karauli–Dholpur, Nagaur, and Sikar
Sikkim
Everywhere
Tamil Nadu
Everywhere
Tripura
Tripura West
Uttar Pradesh
Bijnor, Kairana, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Pilibhit, Rampur, and Saharanpur
Uttarakhand
Everywhere
West Bengal
Alipurduars, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri
Phase 2
- 24 April, Wednesday • Pre-election silence 1
- 25 April, Thursday • Pre-election silence 2
- 26 April, Friday • Polling day 3
Assam
Darrang-Udalguri, Diphu, Karimganj, Nagaon, and Silchar
Bihar
Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj, and Purnia
Chhattisgarh
Kanker, Mahasamund, and Rajnandgaon
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu
Karnataka
Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore South, Chamarajanagar, Chikkballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, and Udupi Chikmagalur
Kerala
Everywhere
Madhya Pradesh
Betul, Damoh, Hoshangabad, Khajuraho, Rewa, Satna, and Tikamgarh
Maharashtra
Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Wardha, and Yavatmal-Washim
Manipur
Parts of Outer Manipur
Rajasthan
Ajmer, Barmer, Banswara, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jalore, Jhalawar-Baran, Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, Rajasmand, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, and Udaipur
Tripura
Tripura East
Uttar Pradesh
Aligarh, Amroha, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Mathura, and Meerut
West Bengal
Balurghat, Darjeeling, and Raiganj
Phase 3
- 5 May, Sunday • Pre-election silence 1
- 6 May, Monday • Pre-election silence 2
- 7 May, Tuesday • Polling day 3
Assam
Barpeta, Dhubri, Guwahati, and Kokrajhar
Bihar
Araria, Jhanjharpur, Khagaria, Madhepura, and Supaul
Chhattisgarh
Bilaspur, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Korba, Raigarh, Raipur, and Sarguja
Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu
Everywhere
Goa
Everywhere
Jammu & Kashmir
Anantnag-Rajouri
Karnataka
Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Bijapur, Bidar, Chikkodi, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Haveri, Koppal, Raichur, Shimoga, and Uttara Kannada
Madhya Pradesh
Bhind, Bhopal, Guna, Gwalior, Morena, Rajgarh, Sagar, and Vidisha
Maharashtra
Baramati, Hatkanangle, Kolhapur, Latur, Madha, Osmanabad, Raigad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Sangli, Satara, and Solapur
Uttar Pradesh
Agra, Aonla, Badaun, Bareilly, Etah, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Hathras, Mainpuri, and Sambhal
West Bengal
Jangipur, Malda Dakshin, Malda Uttar, and Murshidabad
Phase 4
- 11 May, Saturday • Pre-election silence 1
- 12 May, Sunday • Pre-election silence 2
- 13 May, Monday • Polling day 3
Andhra Pradesh
Everywhere
Bihar
Begusarai, Darbhanga, Munger, Samastipur, and Ujiarpur
Jammu & Kashmir
Srinagar
Jharkhand
Khunti, Lohardaga, Palamu, and Singhbhum
Madhya Pradesh
Dewas, Dhar, Indore, Khandwa, Khargone, Mandsaur, Ratlam, and Ujjain
Maharashtra
Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Beed, Jalgaon, Jalna, Maval, Nandurbar, Pune, Raver, Shirur, and Shirdi
Odisha
Berhampur, Kalahandi, Koraput, and Nabarangpur
Telangana
Everywhere
Uttar Pradesh
Akbarpur, Bahraich, Dhaurahra, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Kanpur, Kheri, Misrikh, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, and Unnao
West Bengal
Asansol, Baharampur, Bardhaman Purba, Birbhum, Bolpur, Burdwan-Durgapur, Krishnanagar, and Ranaghat
Phase 5
- 18 May, Saturday • Pre-election silence 1
- 19 May, Sunday • Pre-election silence 2
- 20 May, Monday • Polling day 3
Bihar
Hajipur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, and Sitamarhi
Jammu & Kashmir
Baramulla
Jharkhand
Chotra, Hazaribagh, and Kodarma
Ladakh
Everywhere
Maharashtra
Bhiwandi, Dhule, Dindori, Kalyan, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central, Nashik, Palghar, and Thane
Odisha
Aska, Bargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, and Sundargarh
Uttar Pradesh
Amethi, Banda, Barabanki, Faizabad, Fatehpur, Gonda, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Kaushambi, Kaiserganj, Lucknow, Mohanlalganj, and Rae Bareli
West Bengal
Arambagh, Bangaon, Barrackpur, Hooghly, Howrah, Srerampur, and Uluberia
Phase 6
- 23 May, Thursday • Pre-election silence 1
- 24 May, Friday • Pre-election silence 2
- 25 May, Saturday • Polling day 3
Bihar
Gopalganj, Maharajganj, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Siwan, Vaishali, and Valmiki Nagar
Delhi
Everywhere
Haryana
Everywhere
Jharkhand
Dhanbad, Giridih, Jamshedpur, and Ranchi
Odisha
Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Puri, and Sambalpur
Uttar Pradesh
Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Basti, Bhadohi, Domariyaganj, Jaunpur, Lalganj, Machhlishahr, Phulpur, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shrawasti, and Sultanpur
West Bengal
Bankura, Bishnupur, Ghatal, Jhargram, Kanthi, Medinipur, Purulia, and Tamluk
Phase 7
- 30 May, Thursday • Pre-election silence 1
- 31 May, Friday • Pre-election silence 2
- 1 June, Saturday • Polling day 3
Bihar
Arrah, Buxar, Jahanabad, Karakat, Nalanda, Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, and Sasaram
Chandigarh
Everywhere
Himachal Pradesh
Everywhere
Jharkhand
Dumka, Godda, and Rajmahal
Odisha
Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, and Mayurbhanj
Punjab
Everywhere
Uttar Pradesh
Bansgaon, Ballia, Chandauli, Deoria, Ghazipur, Ghosi, Gorakhpur, Kushi Nagar, Maharajganj, Mirzapur, Robertsganj, Salempur, and Varanasi
West Bengal
Barasat, Basirhat, Diamond Harbour, Dum Dum, Jadavpur, Jaynagar, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar, and Mathurapur
Counting Days
- 2 June, Sunday • Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh for state election results
- 4 June, Tuesday • The whole country
Dry Hours
The 48-hour period before end of poll is a dry time. On paper, it’s 5pm two days before voting day to 5pm on the day. But these can be advanced or delayed, as decided by the powers-that-be in each area. Additionally, counting day is a dry day, all day long.
Don’t come at us because it’s different from place to place. We have no way of knowing what happens in each neighbourhood.
1 Pre-election dry day 1
5pm onwards, or from the time specified locally, two days before voting.
2 Pre-election dry day 2
All 24 hours, the day before voting.
3 Polling day
Until 5pm, or after polling booths in the area close for the day.
4 Counting day
All day long. No celebrating. Nor drowning sorrows.
Postscript:
- The list above was prepared manually, so there might be mistakes. They’ll be corrected as they’re noticed. Or as things change
- Yes, there are ads on this page. You should do what we do and use an ad-blocker
- Uttar Pradesh really needs to be split up into several states of manageable size
- Vote wisely, or we’ll have even longer elections the next time around
Another Round
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Complete List of Dry Days in India
(or) Dry Day and the Comprehensive Calendar • In Which the Entire Schedule is Laid Out • Every single dry day across the country, nothing excluded