“India gets ready for the celebration of democracy…A mammoth exercise in democracy which is world’s largest electoral movement of man and material,” quoted the Election Commission of India (ECI – the country’s independent poll-conducting body), while announcing the largest election this year: India’s Lok Sabha.
Spanning over a period of 44 days, India’s Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases and the results will be declared on June 4. The general elections of the lower house of Parliament, whose five hundred and forty-three members represent 1.4 billion people, will be held across 28 states and eight Union territories.
From the Himalayas in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, from the hills of the east to the deserts in the west, and in concrete jungles that are some of the world’s biggest cities to the smallest of villages, an estimated 969 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots. They will elect 543 politicians to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. Two other members are nominated, to make up a total strength of 545 in the house.
India’s Lok Sabha Elections is the world’s largest ‘electoral movement’
India’s election is colossal, colourful and complex. It became the world’s most populous country across the world last year. So far, 17 general elections, over 400 state assembly elections, 16 presidential elections and Vice presidential elections have been conducted in the country. There are a lot of factors that will make this year General Elections a democratic exercise that is unmatched in scale globally, and in history.
1. The Voter Count
The size of India’s electorate is more than the population of all the countries of Europe combined. The total number of registered electors or voters in India are around 96.8 crore (968 million), the Election Commission of India disclosed while announcing the poll schedule. As many as 49.7 crore are men, 47.1 crore are women, 1.8 crore are firs-time voters, 19.74 crore are young voters, 48,000 are transgenders, 82 lakh are aged above 85 and 2.18 lakh are centenarians.
They will cast their votes through 5.5 million electronic voting machines at 1.05 million polling stations, of which some are located in the snow-clad mountains in the Himalayas, the deserts of Rajasthan and sparsely populated islands in the Indian Ocean.
The Election Commission will deploy about 15 million polling staff and security personnel to conduct the elections. They will trek across glaciers and deserts, ride elephants and camels, and travel by boats and helicopters to ensure every voter can cast their ballot.
What’s tally of voters in other countries:
- United States:Around 16 crore (160 million)
- Indonesia: Around 20.4 crore (204 million)
- Pakistan:Around 12.8 crore (128 million)
- European Union: Around 40 crore (400 million)
2. Cost of Lok Sabha Elections
It is expected to be the world’s most expensive election as this year spending by political parties and candidates to woo voters will likely cost more than 1.2 trillion rupees ($14.4bn). That would be twice what was spent in India’s 2019 elections – 600 billion rupees ($7.2bn). Most of India’s election spending is not publicly disclosed. Candidates spend unaccounted money to woo voters. The election scrutiny machinery is weak in detecting cash transactions as candidates attempt to directly bribe voters with money or other enticements, from alcohol to clothes.
3. Thousands of political parties in India
As of March 15, 2019, there were a total of 2,360 political parties registered with the Election Commission. Of these, seven were recognised as national parties, 52 were recognised as state parties and 2,301 were unrecognised parties. Parties that have a significant footprint in a state legislature are recognised as state parties and those with a meaningful presence in multiple states get the national party tag.
A record 612 million people of a 912 million strong electorate cast their votes in the last election, registering the highest ever voter turnout at 67.4 percent. Women’s participation also increased to an historic 67.18 percent in 2019.
4. Electoral participation in democracy
Officials and EVMs: Over 55 lakh EVMs and 1.5 crore polling officials will be deployed for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Polling stations during Lok Sabha polls: There are around 10.5 lakh polling stations currently across the country. The total number of polling stations during the general elections to the 17th Lok Sabha 2019 polls was 10,37,848, as per the ECI data. Holding elections in the world’s seventh largest nation by area is a complex task. In 2019, election workers travelled 300 miles (482 km) over four days across winding mountain roads and river valleys to set up a polling booth for one voter in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China. Election officials also set up a voting booth at 15,256 feet (4,650 metres) in a village in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, making it the highest polling station in the world. Far off the country’s east coast, on the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, workers travelled through crocodile-infested mangrove swamps and dense jungles to reach polling booths.
In Malkangiri district of Odisha, where left-wing Maoist fighters have a presence, polling staff walked 15km (9 miles) through forests and hills to protect electronic voting machines from the rebels after voting. Intelligence agencies had warned them that using cars could have made them easier targets.
“On sheer numbers, it’s gigantic and complicated, but in a sense simple also because at each level the law is very clear about what are the duties and responsibilities of each polling official,’’ said N Gopalaswami, the former chief election commissioner of India.
5. Longest Voting Period
Besides being the largest, this year’s Lok Sabha elections will be the country’s second longest after the first parliamentary elections that were held in 1951-52. The voting period this year will last for over 44 days, while the first-ever national polls had lasted for more than four months.
With the announcement of the schedule, a model code of conduct also kicks in – campaign rules now apply, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is not supposed to announce new policies that could influence voters.
Voting will run in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, said Rajiv Kumar, chief election commissioner of India. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. Assembly elections for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will also take place along with the national elections.
After April 19, the other voting dates are April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. Some states will complete voting on a single day, while others will have voting spread out across several phases.
Over the years, the number of days over which voting has stretched has varied a lot – from the shortest ever four days in 1980 to 39 days in the 2019 election, to 44 days in 2024.
The primary reason for the multiphased election is for the deployment of huge federal security forces required to check everything from polling-related violence or attempts at rigging, according to N Gopalaswami, the former chief election commissioner of India.
6. Record breaking winning seats
PM Narendra Modi has set a target of 370 seats for the BJP, 67 more than in 2019; and for its alliance to cross 400 seats. He is seeking a third term in office.
The last time any party crossed 370 seats was in the 1984 election. The Congress party won 414 seats following the assassination of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
If PM Modi wins and completes five years, he will be the third longest serving prime minister in Indian history. The country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ruled for about 16 years and 9 months consecutively, while his daughter Indira Gandhi governed for a total of about 15 years and 11 months.
“Given the economic growth momentum in the domestic economy created by a Modi-led government and an increased image of India on a global stage, many are confident that Modi will win again,” Kranthi Bathini, equity strategist at WealthMills Securities.
Since Modi won a second term in the 2019 general election, India has seen the economy strengthen, with Indian equity benchmarks hitting record highs. The Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex have both hit all-time highs this year after the country overtook Hong Kong in December to become the world’s seventh largest stock market.
International Monetary Fund executive director Krishnamurthy Subramanian said that India is “easily” the fastest-growing economy and is poised for 8% growth this year.
Thanks to an alignment of calendars, 2024 will not only set a record for breathtaking win for BJP government as predicted but it will also set a record for the greatest number of people living in countries that are holding nationwide elections.
The World Economic Forum has called 2024 “a historic election year, with elections in 50 countries” to be held this year, when about 49% of the World Population will cast their vote.
2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year.
INDIA
Population: 1.44B
Election(s): Lok Sabha (House of the People)
Date(s): expected April – May
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.53
EUROPEAN UNION
Population: 448M (total of 27 E.U. member states)
Election(s): European Parliament
Date(s): June 6-9
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.91 (average of 27 E.U. member states)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Population: 341M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives
Date(s): Nov. 5
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.83
INDONESIA
Population: 279M
Election(s): Presidency, Regional Representative Council, House of Representatives
Date(s): Feb. 14
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.68
PAKISTAN
Population: 243M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): Feb. 8
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.30
BANGLADESH
Population: 174M
Election(s): National Parliament
Date(s): Jan. 7
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.16
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Population: 144M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): March 15-17
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.25
MEXICO
Population: 129M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Deputies
Date(s): June 2
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.75
IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF)
Population: 89.5M
Election(s): Islamic Consultative Assembly, Assembly of Experts
Date(s): March 1
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.32
UNITED KINGDOM
Population: 67.9M
Election(s): House of Commons
Date(s): expected in 2024, required by Jan. 28, 2025
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.93
SOUTH AFRICA
Population: 60.7M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): expected May – August
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.72
REPUBLIC OF KOREA [SOUTH KOREA]
Population: 51.8M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): April 10
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.95
ALGERIA
Population: 46M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): expected in December
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.29
UKRAINE
Population: 37.4M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): scheduled* March 31 (*may not occur due to martial law)
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.57
UZBEKISTAN
Population: 35.4M
Election(s): Legislative Chamber
Date(s): expected in October, due by December
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.33
GHANA
Population: 34.4M
Election(s): Presidency, Parliament
Date(s): Dec. 7
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.62
MOZAMBIQUE
Population: 34.4M
Election(s): Presidency, Assembly of the Republic
Date(s): Oct. 9
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.18
MADAGASCAR
Population: 30.7M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): due by May
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.43
VENEZUELA, BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF
Population: 29.1M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): expected in December
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.11
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA [NORTH KOREA]
Population: 26.2M
Election(s): Supreme People’s Assembly
Date(s): April 10
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.14
TAIWAN
Population: 23.9M
Election(s): Presidency, Legislative Yuan
Date(s): Jan. 13
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.94
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Population: 23.8M
Election(s): People’s Assembly
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.00
MALI
Population: 23.6M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): scheduled for February, junta postponed indefinitely for “technical reasons”
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.00
SRI LANKA
Population: 21.9M
Election(s): Presidency, Parliament
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.76
ROMANIA
Population: 19.7M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Deputies
Date(s): expected November – December
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.86
CHAD
Population: 18.6M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): expected in October
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.00
SENEGAL
Population: 18.0M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): Feb. 25
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.75
CAMBODIA
Population: 17.0M
Election(s): Senate
Date(s): Feb. 25
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.14
RWANDA
Population: 14.3M
Election(s): Presidency, Chamber of Deputies
Date(s): July 15
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.37
TUNISIA
Population: 12.5M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): expected in fall
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.02
BELGIUM
Population: 11.7M
Election(s): Chamber of Representatives
Date(s): June 9
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.97
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Population: 11.4M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Deputies
Date(s): May 19
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.63
JORDAN
Population: 11.4M
Election(s): House of Representatives
Date(s): expected in November
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.49
SOUTH SUDAN
Population: 11.2M
Election(s): Presidency, National Legislature
Date(s): expected in December
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.00
CZECHIA [CZECH REPUBLIC]
Population: 10.5M
Election(s): Senate
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.95
AZERBAIJAN
Population: 10.4M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): Feb. 7
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.08
PORTUGAL
Population: 10.2M
Election(s): Assembly of the Republic
Date(s): March 10
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.95
BELARUS
Population: 9.5M
Election(s): Chamber of Representatives
Date(s): Feb. 25
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.14
TOGO
Population: 9.2M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): expected in early 2024
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.40
AUSTRIA
Population: 9.0M
Election(s): National Council
Date(s): expected on Sept. 29
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.93
EL SALVADOR
Population: 6.4M
Election(s): Presidency, Legislative Assembly
Date(s): Feb. 4
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.35
SLOVAKIA
Population: 5.7M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.93
FINLAND
Population: 5.5M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): Jan. 28
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.96
MAURITANIA
Population: 4.9M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): June 22
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.42
PANAMA
Population: 4.5M
Election(s): Presidency, National Assembly
Date(s): May 5
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.86
CROATIA
Population: 4.0M
Election(s): Presidency, Parliament
Date(s): presidential election expected in December; date of parliamentary elections TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.92
GEORGIA
Population: 3.7M
Election(s): Presidency, Parliament
Date(s): parliamentary elections on Oct. 26; date of presidential election TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.59
MONGOLIA
Population: 3.5M
Election(s): State Great Khural
Date(s): expected in June
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.65
URUGUAY
Population: 3.4M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Representatives
Date(s): Oct. 27
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.93
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Population: 3.4M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): expected in November
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.82
LITHUANIA
Population: 2.7M
Election(s): Presidency, Seimas
Date(s): presidential election on May 12; parliamentary elections on Oct. 13
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.89
BOTSWANA
Population: 2.7M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): expected in October
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.58
NAMIBIA
Population: 2.6M
Election(s): Presidency, National Assembly
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.65
GUINEA BISSAU
Population: 2.2M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.23
NORTH MACEDONIA
Population: 2.1M
Election(s): Presidency, Assembly
Date(s): presidential election on April 24; parliamentary elections on May 8
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.60
MAURITIUS
Population: 1.3M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.57
COMOROS
Population: 0.86M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): Jan. 14
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.07
BHUTAN
Population: 0.79M
Election(s): National Assembly
Date(s): Jan. 9
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.85
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Population: 0.75M
Election(s): National Parliament
Date(s): expected in April
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.63
MALDIVES
Population: 0.52M
Election(s): People’s Majlis
Date(s): expected March – May
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.66
ICELAND
Population: 0.38M
Election(s): Presidency
Date(s): June 1
Freedom and Fairness Score: 0.89
KIRIBATI
Population: 0.14M
Election(s): Presidency, House of Assembly
Date(s): TBD
Freedom and Fairness Score: not available
SAN MARINO
Population: 0.03M
Election(s): Grand and General Council
Date(s): expected in December
Freedom and Fairness Score: NA
PALAU
Population: 0.02M
Election(s): Presidency, Senate, House of Delegates
Date(s): Nov. 12
Freedom and Fairness Score: NA
TUVALU
Population: 0.01M
Election(s): Parliament
Date(s): Jan. 26
Freedom and Fairness Score: NA
