NEW DELHI - India will go to polls on April 7 this year, the country's independent Election Commission announced Wednesday.

The nine-phase general elections will be held from April 7 to May 12 while the counting has been slated for May 16, India's Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath told the media in the national capital.

"With our announcement of the schedule, the model code of conduct comes into force with immediate effect," Sampath said.

This means that neither the central government nor any state government will be able to announce any policy till the next government is formed in the country.

The long election schedule is meant to ensure that security forces can be moved across the country for adequate deployment in sensitive areas.

Some 814 million people are eligible to vote in this election, over 100 million more than 2009.