About a billion Indians will go to the polls on Friday in what will be the largest general election in the world, which will be held in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, Indian media reported.
India is home to more than 1.4 billion people. There are 969 million eligible voters this year, up from 912 million when the last national election was held in 2019. By comparison, fewer than 170 million people in the US, which will hold national elections in November, will be eligible to vote.
India’s Election Commission needs months of preparation and around 15 million polling and security personnel to organise and conduct this huge democratic event.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are in some cases even transported on horses or elephants to reach remote locations, taking nearly seven weeks in the remotest corners of the country where infrastructure may be lacking.
The commission has set up more than 1 million polling stations across India and the aim is for every voter to have one within 1.24 miles of their home. One polling station has been set up high in the Himalayan mountains, at an altitude of 15,256 feet, and has been dubbed the highest polling station in the world.
The election authority said that 5.5 million computers would be used. The machines were first used in India’s national elections in 1982. Some opposition parties have expressed concern that the computers are susceptible to hacking and tampering, but the commission and the government say they are reliable.
Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in power. Pre-election polls are banned in India, but a survey shows Modi’s overall approval rating rose to 75 per cent in February, up 15 per cent over the past two years. Modi’s supporters say his popularity has grown because of his work to put India on the world stage as a major power, while critics say it is because of his shrewd pro-Hindu and anti-Muslim policies.
Voters will choose MPs to fill 543 seats in the 545-seat lower house of parliament, called the Lok Sabha. The remaining two seats are appointed by the country’s president. The party that wins the majority of votes in the election will form the next government and appoint one of the winning candidates as Prime Minister of India.
Six national parties, 57 state parties and more than 2,500 small local parties are contesting the elections. Not all political parties field candidates at the national level. Collectively, fewer than 12 parties hold 86 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats.
One of the main political parties is Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), whose popularity has steadily increased since he came to power in 2014. The BJP’s main rival is the Indian National Congress (INC), the country’s oldest political party, which has been in power for more than 50 of India’s 77 years as an independent nation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather were prime ministers, is Modi’s fiercest opponent and the face of the country’s political opposition.
Election officials are expected to announce the results on 4 June.
