India is bracing for its largest general election in history, with nearly one billion eligible voters set to take part over a period of just over six weeks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third term in power, facing opposition parties united in an alliance to remove him from office. This election will showcase the world’s largest democracy in action.
With a population of over 1.4 billion people, India has about 969 million eligible voters for the upcoming election. This surpasses the combined populations of North America and the European Union. Driven by a range of concerns, including unemployment, welfare benefits, infrastructure and democracy, around 12% of the global population will participate in this election. The number of women registered to vote has increased significantly as has the number of voters in the 18-29 age group.
Indians will be casting their votes for 543 seats in the 545-seat lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. The winning party will appoint the prime minister and form the ruling government. The voting process will begin on April 19 and continue until June 1, with results being announced on June 4. Some states will have a single voting day while others like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will vote over a span of seven days covering a significant portion of the population.
The voting process in India will take place electronically across more than one million polling stations – an increase of 1% from the previous election – involving around 15 million polling officials and security staff who will travel by various means including road, boat, camel train and helicopter to ensure all citizens have access to vote. India’s election is an incredible feat that embodies the essence of democracy on an enormous scale.
