Considered the biggest event after the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, the announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission on Tuesday to the Legislative Assemblies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry said the mega exercise would involve 14,39,34,039 people who are eligible to vote.
West Bengal has the highest number of 5,60,91,973 voters, followed by Tamil Nadu with 4,59,50,620, Kerala with 2,29,40,408, Assam with 1,81,45,914, and Puducherry with 8,05,124 voters.
The EC is setting up 1,51,357 polling stations in the four States and the Union Territory of Puducherry, with the highest being in Tamil Nadu at 54,016. West Bengal will have 51,919 stations; Assam, 23,813; Kerala, 20,758; and Puducherry, 851.
The EC has said voters' slips, including photographs of the voters wherever available in the photo rolls, will be distributed to all enrolled voters by poll officials instead of the political parties, as has been the practice in the past.
For the first time, the EC is setting up an all-India toll-free call centre with the number 1965 for registration of complaints.
The complaints can also be registered on the website to be announced by the Chief Electoral Officers.
Action will be taken on the complaints within a time-limit and the complainants will be informed about this through SMS/email.
