India is home to more than 1.4 billion people. On 19th April 2024, the world’s biggest democracy began its general election, voting for the lower House of Parliament. India’s parliament is bicameral, meaning it has an upper and lower house.
The lower house, otherwise referred to as the Lok Sabha, comprises members elected directly by the general population of India.
There are 546 seats in the Lok Sabha, out of which 543 seats are contested. The remaining two are filled by the president’s nominees.
969 million adults have registered to vote in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, 4o million of them being women.
India’s Main Parties and Candidates
India is a multi-party democracy, and it has been so since the adoption of the country’s first constitution in 1950. This was three years after India attained its independence from Britain, the country that had colonized this Asian region.
There are two major political parties India – the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).
Constitutionally, the country is bound to hold general elections after a span of five years of the previous election. The BJP has held the reins of power for the past decade, having won the past two elections.
There seems to be an above average turnout of voters so far. In the first phase of voting, the turnout of voters in the 102 constituencies participating in Phase 1 of the elections constituted 62% of the registered voters. Those constituencies are spread across India’s 21 states.
The Incumbent: Narendra Modi is the BJP Candidate
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting for the third term for the position of India’s Prime Minister. Even then, members of other parties have accused him of not according opposition parties a level playing field in the election process.
To try and counter what they considered BJP’s undue advantage, the Congress Party and 26 other parties decided to combine forces. They came together and formed the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance – acronym, “INDIA”. Their plan is to ensure that Prime Minister Modi does not win a third term.
INDIA, the coalition, is led by Rahul Gandhi, who is the leader of the INC. He is also the son of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and the grandson of India’s first female leader, Indira Gandhi.
This situation is almost similar to what was witnessed in Pakistan in 2022. Opposition parties rallied together for the purpose of passing a vote of no-confidence against the then Prime Minister Imran Khan. They succeeded and hence ousted him from power.
The Lok Sabha Candidates
Over 1350 Indian candidates will contest for the 543 seats of Lok Sabha this year.
Rahul Gandhi is the candidate vying to become Prime Minister under the Indian National Congress, the main opposition party. He comes from the Wayanad constituency in India’s state of Kerala.
His main rival, the incumbent, Narendra Modi, who is BJP’s candidate, comes from Varanasi constituency in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
India’s Election Phases
As India votes for their next Prime Minister, they are also supposed to vote for their parliamentary representatives. Owing to the country’s vastness and high population, India’s voting is conducted in seven phases.
The first phase, which started on 19th April, covered 102 constituencies, spread across 21 states and union territories.
The second phase of voting should start on April 26, with 88 seats within thirteen states being up for grabs.
The third phase of the 2024 voting is scheduled to begin on May 7, where candidates vie for 94 seats across India’s twelve states.
The fourth phase is scheduled to begin on May 13, during which 96 seats within 10 states and some union territories should be filled.
Then comes the fifth phase, whose voting is set to begin on May 20 to fill 49 seats within eight states and some union territories.
The sixth phase is due to begin on May 25, and involves 57 parliamentary seats across seven states.
India’s Lok Sabha elections are set to end after the seventh phase of voting, which is set to begin on June 1st. During this period, candidates from the eight states involved should be able to fill 57 seats.
The counting of votes for all constituencies in India is set to begin on June 4th. While it may take a day to complete vote counting in some states, it could take several days in heavily populated ones. The states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, for instance, may have to remain patient for up to seven days.
For now, Indian voters and the world are waiting to watch how the second voting phase of the country’s heavily populated democracy will take place.