Lok Sabha Elections: How to file nomination for contesting polls?

The nomination process for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has officially started In this piece we explain the process to be followed for filing nominations to contest the polls. .The 2024 elections will occur in 7 phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1.The nomination process starts immediately after the Election Commission of India publishes a gazette notification in that regard for each phase..Who can be a candidate: For election to the Lok Sabha, any Indian citizen who is at least 25 years old and registered as a voter in the current electoral roll can contest as a candidate. Read about other qualifications and disqualifications here. Get a detailed handbook for candidates..Who nominates: A person can be nominated by a political party or can stand as an independent candidate..Nomination Forms to submit: Candidates are required to submit their filled in nomination forms with the concerned Returning Officer and the Chief Electoral Officer not later than 3 pm on the last date for making nominations. A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in one constituency or sometimes in two, as directed by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The ECI nominates or designates an officer of the government or a local authority as the returning officer for each constituency in consultation with the state government/union territory administration.Download the form here..Online Option: Nomination forms can be filed online on the Suvidha Candidate App which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. After submitting the forms, affidavits and security deposit, candidates can check availability of time slot and appropriately plan a visit to the Returning Officer. Once the application is filled through the online portal, the candidates need to take a printout, get it notarised, and submit the application along with relevant documents to the Returning Officer in person. Access the webpage here. .Affidavit: Affidavit in Form 26 must be submitted to the Returning Officer. This will include details of any criminal antecedents; details of PAN and status of filing of Income tax returns of the candidate, spouse and dependents; details of assets and liabilities of candidate, spouse and all dependents to government and public financial institutions; details of profession or occupation of candidate and spouse; and the highest educational qualification of the candidate. This can be done on the Suvidha App.Download Form 26 here..Oath: The candidate has to make an oath in the prescribed format as given in the Third Schedule of the Constitution, before the Returning Officer/Assistant Returning Officer or any other person authorised by the Election Commission. The oath has to be made and submitted at any time after filing of the nomination paper and latest by the day before the date fixed for scrutiny of nomination..Security Deposit: Candidates must and also make a security deposit of ₹25,000. For those belonging to scheduled castes or scheduled tribes, the deposit amount is ₹12,500. However, they may be required to submit documentary proof of being a SC/ST to the satisfaction of the Returning Officer. This can be done on the Suvidha app..Candidate affidavit portal:The online candidate affidavit portal allows citizens to view the complete list of candidate nominations. Complete candidate profiles with photos and affidavits are made public as and when the Returning Officer enters the data. .On March 20, the Election Commission of India released a gazette notification for the 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 States and 4 Union Territories going for polls in the first phase 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The polling in these constituencies will take place on April 19.The States/UTs included in Phase 1 are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.The last date for filing of nomination in those States/ UTs is March 27, Wednesday.