- Modi seeks third term
- 970 million voters expected
- Elections in seven phases
The voting process will be divided into seven stages to accommodate the large turnout for the election—as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pursues a third term.
With 970 million registered voters, India is preparing to elect a new parliament in the country’s largest democratic exercise to date.
The Indian Election Commission announced on Saturday that the elections will be conducted over 44 days, in seven phases, from April 19th to June 1st.
A 15 million-strong security and electoral official contingent will carry out the massive exercise.
They aim to ensure a transparent and impartial election process across more than one million polling locations by utilising 5.5 million electronic voting instruments.
Every residence must be close to a polling station, which is specified to be within a distance of two kilometres (1.2 miles).
Voter turnout stands at 18 million for first-time voters, whereas the eligible youth population for the age bracket of 20 to 29 amounts to 197 million.
Voting is being conducted to occupy the 543 Lok Sabha (lower house) seats. A minimum of 272 seats is required for any political party or coalition to establish a government.
The anticipated results date is June 4th.
A constitutionally reserved portion of the 543 seats allocates approximately 25% of the seats to individuals from two marginalised communities: scheduled tribes, or Adivasis, occupy 47 seats, while scheduled castes, or Dalits, are entitled to 84 seats.
Implementing a recent parliamentary resolution in India to reserve one-third of legislative seats for women has been postponed until 2024.
Significant signs point toward an overwhelming majority victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition, the National Democratic Alliance, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vies for a third term.
Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 37.36% of the vote in 2019, the highest vote share for a political party in India since 1989.
The party secured an astounding 303 seats, increasing its strength to 353 seats through its alliance.
The Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, obtained 52 seats, while the United Progressive Alliance, also headed by the party, accumulated 98 seats.
An esteemed and reviled politician
Mr Modi is, without a doubt, the most well-liked Indian statesman of the twenty-first century. He is despised and admired alike.
Adherents praise him as a paradigm-shifting leader who restored the proper standing of most Hindus. His formidable combination of national pride, religious identity, and progress has propelled him far clear of his opponents.
Critics characterise him as an autocratic politician who sows discord, embodying an Indian iteration of fascism. During his tenure, India’s secular establishments and customs were significantly undermined.
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Additionally, under his control, the stigmatisation of the 14% Muslim population has occurred.
Mr Modi’s lack of comment regarding the numerous lynchings of Muslim men suspected of engaging in the bovine meat trade or Love Jihad (a conspiracy theory positing that Muslim men seduce Hindu women away from their faith) was interpreted as tacit approval of the perpetrators.
An administration that averted its gaze during the occurrence of these incidents.
Politically dominant for more than a decade, Mr. Modi is invoked throughout this nation, whether in local or national elections.
