Bank holiday in several cities on April 19 due to phase 1 of Lok Sabha elections: Details inside

Banks in several cities across India will remain closed on April 19, 2024, due to the Lok Sabha Election 2024, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Election 2024, and the Bye-Election to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Vilavancode Constituency, Kanniyakumari District. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar for 2024, the following cities will observe bank closures: Chennai, Dehradun, Itanagar, Jaipur, Kohima, Nagpur, and Shillong.

This bank holiday aligns with the first phase of the general elections, which are scheduled to commence on April 19, 2024. The elections will be conducted in seven phases, with subsequent phases following on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, 2024.

Additionally, some states have declared paid or public holidays to facilitate voting participation. Uttarakhand, for instance, has declared April 19 as a public holiday, ensuring residents have the opportunity to cast their votes. Similarly, the Tamil Nadu government has announced a public holiday on April 19 to accommodate voting for both the Lok Sabha seats and the by-poll for the Vilavancode Assembly constituency.

Furthermore, other states and territories where elections are scheduled for April 19 include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

It's worth noting that the RBI has not declared a bank holiday for all the aforementioned states, except for those mentioned earlier.

In summary, the closure of banks on April 19, 2024, in various cities is to facilitate the smooth conduct of elections and ensure citizens have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.