India Gears Up for Its Largest General Election, With Over 969 Million Eligible Voters
The world’s most populous country, India, is preparing for its largest ever general election. Nearly a billion people are eligible to participate over a six-week period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third term in power, facing opposition from a coalition of parties.
In the upcoming election, 969 million people will cast their votes, which is more than the populations of North America and the European Union combined. Motivated by issues such as unemployment, welfare benefits, infrastructure, and democracy, about 12% of the world’s population will head to the polls.
Indian citizens will be voting for 543 seats in the 545-seat lower house of parliament known as the Lok Sabha. The party that secures a majority will appoint one of its winning candidates as prime minister to form the ruling government. Voting begins on April 19 and will last until June 1st with results announced on June 4th. Some states have only one day to vote while others like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will vote over seven days.
The election operation involves 15 million polling officials and security staff who travel by various means such as road, boat, camel, train and helicopters to ensure citizens across India have the opportunity to cast their votes at over one million polling stations across the country.
