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All 543 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Seats by constituency. As this is a FPTP election, seat totals are not determined proportional to each party's total vote share, but instead by the plurality in each constituency. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections are being held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on 4 June 2024.
This is the largest-ever election in history, surpassing the previous election, and lasts 44 days, second only to the 1951–52 Indian general election. The incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi, who completed a second term, is running for a third consecutive term.
Approximately 970 million people out of a population of 1.4 billion people are eligible to vote, equivalent to 70% of the total population. [1] [2] [3] The legislative assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim are to be held simultaneously with the general election, along with the by-elections for 25 constituencies in 12 legislative assemblies.
India has a multi-party system with two major parties, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress dominating the politics at the national level. The Bharatiya Janata Party has governed the country with Narendra Modi at the helm since 2014. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [4] The previous general election was held in April–May 2019, after which the, National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, formed the union government, with Modi continuing as Prime Minister. [5]
Article 83 of the Constitution of India requires elections to the Lok Sabha to be held once every five years. [6] All 543 elected MPs are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. [7] The 104th amendment to the constitution abolished the two seats that were reserved for the Anglo-Indian community. [8]
Eligible voters must be Indian citizens, 18 years or older, ordinary resident of the polling area of the constituency and registered to vote (name included in the electoral rolls), possess a valid voter identification card issued by the Election Commission of India or equivalent. [9] Some people convicted of electoral or other offenses are barred from voting. [10] Indians holding foreign citizenship are also barred from voting. There is no postal or online absentee voting in India; members of the Indian diaspora are required to travel back to their home constituencies in order to cast a ballot. [11]
For the 2024 election, 968 million people are eligible to vote, an increase of about 150 million people from the 2019 election. [12] In Arunachal Pradesh, a polling station will be set up for the only registered voter in the village of Malogam, due to electoral laws that stipulate voting booths to be placed within two kilometers from all settlements. [13] [14] [15] A polling station was also set up inside the Gir Forest in Gujarat to cater for a singular voter, a priest at a Hindu temple. [16] Polling stations will also be set up inside a wildlife sanctuary in Kerala and in a shipping container in Gujarat, [17] as well as in 320 relief camps hosting some 59,000 people displaced during interethnic violence in Manipur. [18]
In March 2024, the Supreme Court of India rejected a petition by the Congress Party to end the usage of electronic voting machines and revert to paper ballots and manual counting, which was the system used in elections until the late 1990s, with the party citing risks of electoral fraud. [19] Nearly 5.5 million electronic voting machines will be utilized for more than one million polling stations, while 15 million election workers and security personnel will be tasked with managing the conduct of the election. [15]
For the first time, the Election Commission of India allowed voters with disabilities and those over the age of 85 to cast ballots from their homes due to concerns over high temperatures. In Telangana, voting in some precincts was extended by a later hour to allow voters to come at a more convenient time. [20]
Key processes during a Lok Sabha election involve monitoring campaign expenditure, preventing the circulation of illicit goods, and ensuring adherence to the Model Code of Conduct. In the final 48 hours before voting, campaigns are ended, and measures are implemented to maintain order and prevent disruptions. On polling day, strict rules are enforced to prevent undue influence, ensuring a smooth and secure election process. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are sealed and stored with tight security measures, while Booth Level Officers assist voters throughout the process. [21]
The election schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 March 2024, [22] [23] and with it the Model Code of Conduct came into effect. [24] The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [25]
Poll event | Phase | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
Notification date | 20 March | 28 March | 12 April | 18 April | 26 April | 29 April | 7 May |
Last date for filing nomination | 27 March | 4 April | 19 April | 25 April | 3 May | 6 May | 14 May |
Scrutiny of nomination | 28 March | 5 April | 20 April | 26 April | 4 May | 7 May | 15 May |
Last date for withdrawal of nomination | 30 March | 8 April | 22 April | 29 April | 6 May | 9 May | 17 May |
Date of poll | 19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June |
Date of counting of votes | 4 June 2024 | ||||||
No. of constituencies | 101+1⁄2 | 87+1⁄2 | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
State/Union territory | Total constituencies | Election dates and number of constituencies | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 | Phase 7 | ||
19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June | ||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 25 | ||||||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Assam | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Bihar | 40 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||||
Goa | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Gujarat | 26 | 26 | ||||||
Haryana | 10 | 10 | ||||||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Jharkhand | 14 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
Karnataka | 28 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Kerala | 20 | 20 | ||||||
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 6 | 6 [lower-alpha 1] | 9 [lower-alpha 1] | 8 | |||
Maharashtra | 48 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 13 | ||
Manipur | 2 | 1+1⁄2 [lower-alpha 2] | 1⁄2 [lower-alpha 2] | |||||
Meghalaya | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Mizoram | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Nagaland | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Odisha | 21 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |||
Punjab | 13 | 13 | ||||||
Rajasthan | 25 | 12 | 13 | |||||
Sikkim | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 39 | ||||||
Telangana | 17 | 17 | ||||||
Tripura | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 5 | ||||||
West Bengal | 42 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Chandigarh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Delhi | 7 | 7 | ||||||
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 1 | 1 | [lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 1 | 1 [lower-alpha 3] | |
Ladakh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Lakshadweep | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Puducherry | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Total constituencies | 543 | 101+1⁄2 | 87+1⁄2 | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
Total constituencies by end of phase | – | 101+1⁄2 | 189 | 284 | 379 | 428 | 486 | 543 |
Percentage complete by end of phase | – | 18.7 | 34.8 | 52.3 | 69.8 | 78.8 | 89.5 | 100 |
The politics of India has become increasingly bipolar in the run-up to the 2024 Indian general elections with two major alliances emerging; the incumbent NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and the opposition INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance). Six national parties are contesting the 2024 Indian general elections: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), INC (Indian National Congress), CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)), BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), NPP (National People's Party) and AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) with all except the BSP being a part of one of the two alliances.
The National Democratic Alliance, abbreviated as NDA (IAST: Rāṣhṭrīya Jānātāntrik Gaṭhabandhan) is a big tent, mostly centre-right to right-wing political alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, abbreviated as INDIA (IAST : Bhāratīya Rāṣṭrīya Vikāsaśīla Samāveśī Gaṭhabaṃdhana) is a big-tent, mostly centre-left to left-wing bloc of opposition parties. [31] [32]
On the run up to the general election numerous opposition parties met to form a new opposition alliance to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. After numerous talks 26 political parties came together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Parties | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Indian National Congress | Karnataka | 28 | 285 | |
Madhya Pradesh | 27 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 23 | |||
Gujarat | 23 | |||
Rajasthan | 22 | |||
Odisha | 20 | |||
Maharashtra | 17 | |||
Telangana | 17 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 17 | |||
Kerala | 16 | |||
Assam | 13 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Bihar | 9 | |||
Haryana | 9 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 9 | |||
Jharkhand | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 3 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 2 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Manipur | 2 | |||
Meghalaya | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chandigarh | 1 | |||
Ladakh | 1 | |||
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Mizoram | 1 | |||
Nagaland | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Sikkim | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Uttar Pradesh | 62 | ||
Rashtriya Janata Dal | Bihar | 23 | 24 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 21 | ||
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) | Maharashtra | 21 | ||
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Maharashtra | 10 | ||
Aam Aadmi Party | Delhi | 4 | 7 | |
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Haryana | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 6 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | Jharkhand | 5 | 6 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 4 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Bihar | 3 | 4 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Vikassheel Insaan Party | Bihar | 3 | ||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 2 | ||
All India Forward Bloc | Madhya Pradesh | 1 | ||
All India Trinamool Congress | Uttar Pradesh | 1 | ||
Assam Jatiya Parishad | Assam | 1 | ||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Total | 466 |
Parties | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | West Bengal | 23 | 47 | |
Kerala | 15 | |||
Maharashtra | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Karnataka | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Punjab | 1 | |||
Telangana | 1 | |||
All India Trinamool Congress | West Bengal | 42 | 47 | |
Assam | 4 | |||
Meghalaya | 1 | |||
Indian National Congress | Kerala | 16 | 43 | |
Punjab | 13 | |||
West Bengal | 13 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
All India Forward Bloc | Maharashtra | 8 | 30 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 5 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 4 | |||
Telengana | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Bihar | 2 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Jharkhand | 4 | 24 | |
Kerala | 4 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 4 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 3 | |||
Punjab | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 2 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Maharashtra | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 21 | |
Rajasthan | 5 | |||
Maharashtra | 4 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Jharkhand | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 1 | |||
Aam Aadmi Party | Punjab | 13 | 15 | |
Assam | 2 | |||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Telangana | 7 | 11 | |
Karnataka | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Andhra Pradesh | 7 | 9 | |
Gujarat | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Revolutionary Socialist Party | Andhra Pradesh | 3 | 8 | |
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Telengana | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Andhra Pradesh | 1 | 3 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
West Bengal | 1 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Kerala | 2 | ||
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Haryana | 1 | 2 | |
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Kerala Congress | Kerala | 1 | ||
Kerala Congress (M) | Kerala | 1 | ||
Total | 266 |
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati announced that her party will contest the election on its own in most states and ally with other non-BJP, non-Congress parties in Telangana and Haryana. [37]
On 11 May 2023, Biju Janata Dal leader and Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik said that his party will go alone for the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha. [38]
Party/Alliance | States/UTs | Seats Contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Recognised Parties | ||||
Bahujan Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | 80 | TBD | |
West Bengal | 5 | |||
Bihar | ||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | |||
Gujarat | 24 | |||
Rajasthan | 24 | |||
Karnataka | 21 | |||
Odisha | ||||
Kerala | 18 | |||
Telangana | ||||
Punjab | ||||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Delhi | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
DNHDD | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 34 | 36 | |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
YSR Congress Party | Andhra Pradesh | 25 | ||
Biju Janata Dal | Odisha | 21 | ||
Bharat Rashtra Samithi | Telangana | 17 | ||
Shiromani Akali Dal | Punjab | |||
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | Telangana | 1 | ||
Indian National Lok Dal | Haryana | |||
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party | Jammu and Kashmir | |||
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 5 | ||
Bodoland People's Front | Assam | 4 | ||
All India United Democratic Front | Assam | 3 | ||
Revolutionary Goans Party | Goa | 2 | ||
Mizo National Front | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Sikkim Democratic Front | Sikkim | 1 | ||
Voice of the People Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
United Democratic Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
Zoram People's Movement | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Unrecognised parties | ||||
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) | West Bengal | |||
Karnataka | 19 | |||
Kerala | 8 | |||
Assam | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Uttarakhand | 1 | |||
Naam Tamilar Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 39 | 40 | |
Puduchery | 1 | |||
Gondwana Ganatantra Party | Madhya Pradesh | |||
Chhattisgarh | 9 | |||
Maharashtra | ||||
Azad Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | |||
Madhya Pradesh | ||||
Rajsthan | 5 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 3 | |||
Delhi | 1 | |||
Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi | Maharashtra | |||
Indian Secular Front | West Bengal | 8 | ||
Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Maharashtra | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 8 | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Karnataka | 4 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 2 | |||
Manipur | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Gana Suraksha Party | West Bengal | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | |||
Social Democratic Party of India | Andhra Pradesh | 2 | ||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | Uttarakhand | 3 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | ||
The prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 general election of the NDA alliance is the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [39] [40] The prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc will be decided after the 2024 polls. [41] [42]
The BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates on 2 March 2024 [43] [44] and the second list of 72 candidates was published in 13 March, [45] while the third list of nine candidates was announced on 21 March. [46] The fourth list of 15 candidates was released on 22 March, [47] followed by the declaration of fifth list of 111 candidates on 24 March [48] and the sixth list of three candidates on 26 March. [49] The seventh list of two candidates was announced on 27 March [50] and the eighth list of eleven candidates was published on 30 March, [51] while the ninth list of just one candidate was released on 31 March. [52] The tenth list, comprising nine candidates, was released on 10 April [53] and the eleventh list, comprising one candidate, was released on 11 April, [54] followed by the announcement of twelfth list of seven candidates on 16 April. [55] The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth lists, each comprising of one candidate, were published on 18 April, [56] 23 April [57] and 27 April [58] respectively. The sixteenth list consisting of one candidate of Birbhum constituency was released on 1 May, [59] after previous candidate's nomination papers were rejected by the ECI officials [60] and the seventeenth list of two candidates was published on 2 May, [61] while the eighteenth list of one candidate was declared on 3 May. [62] The nineteenth list of three candidates was declared on 8 May, [63] while the twentieth list of one candidate was released on 10 May. [64]
For the first time since 1996, the BJP did not field candidates in the Kashmir division, with analysts and opposition politicians attributing it to popular backlash over the BJP government's revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy enshrined under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019. [65]
The Indian National Congress released its first list of 39 candidates on 8 March 2024 [66] and the second list of 43 candidates was published on 13 March, [67] while the third list of 56 candidates was announced on 22 March. [68] The fourth list of 46 candidates was published on 23 March and the fifth list of three candidates was released on 24 March, [69] while the sixth list of five candidates was announced on 25 March. [70] The seventh list of five candidates was published on 26 March, [71] while the eighth list of 14 candidates was announced on 27 March [72] and the ninth list of five candidates was released on 29 March. [73] The tenth list of two candidates was published on 1 April [74] and the eleventh list of 17 candidates was announced on 2 April, [75] while the twelfth list of three candidates was released on 4 April. [76] The thirteenth list of six candidates was announced on 6 April, [77] while the fourteenth list of six more candidates was declared on 9 April, [78] followed by the fifteenth list of two candidates on 10 April. [79] The sixteenth list of 16 candidates was announced on 13 April, [80] followed by the declaration of seventeenth list of ten candidates on 14 April, [81] while the eighteenth list of three candidates was published on 16 April. [82] The nineteenth list of four candidates was announced on 20 April, [83] while the twentieth list of 11 candidates was published on 21 April [84] and the twenty-first list of seven candidates was declared on 23 April. [85] The twenty-second list of three candidates was published on 24 April [86] and the twenty-third list of eight candidates was announced on 25 April, [87] while the twenty-fourth list of two candidates was declared on 28 April. [88] The twenty-fifth list of four candidates was published on 30 April [89] and the twenty-sixth list of two candidates was announced on 3 May, [90] while the twenty-seventh list of one candidate, the replacement candidate for Puri constituency was announced on 5 May, [91] after the previous candidate withdrew her candidature citing a lack of funding from the party for her election campaign. [92] The twenty-eighth list of one candidate was announced on 7 May. [93]
The All India Trinamool Congress announced its list of 42 candidates for the West Bengal parliamentary seats on 10 March. [94] In the Left Front, the CPI(M) announced its list first list of 44 candidates contesting from 13 different states on 28 March. [95]
One of Prime Minister Modi's key election promises and a central focus of the BJP's manifestos has been delivering on government schemes and ensuring last-mile delivery, a significant political strategy to bolster the BJP's electoral support. [96] Their approach primarily emphasizes direct cash transfers and the provision of essential private items such as toilets, cooking gas, houses, and bank accounts. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi's government has implemented over 300 federal welfare schemes, spending more than 34 trillion rupees ($400bn) to benefit over 900 million people. Key initiatives include the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (housing scheme), the world's largest cash transfer program for farmers, and schemes providing free cooking gas, electricity, and piped water. These programs are promoted as personal guarantees from Modi, aiming to directly impact the lives of low-income households. The BJP's welfare policies have been credited with attracting voter support, particularly among women, due to increased access to essential services. [97]
The issue of unemployment has been a major problem for the Indian economy, especially affecting the youth. [98] [99] Unemployment in India has been at a 45-year old high. [100] According to a 2022 World Bank report, India's youth unemployment rate stood at 23.2%, [101] whereas the national unemployment hovered around 7%. [98] In 2023, 42.3% of graduates were unemployed, showing the lack of job growth needed to accommodate the increasing workforce. [102]
As such, unemployment has taken a centre stage in the election campaigns, with the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance banking on rising unemployment and inflation to criticise the BJP government's handling of the Indian economy. [103] As a part of its separate youth manifesto, the Congress-led INDIA bloc promised to fill in the three million vacancies in government jobs and bring in the "Right to Apprenticeship", in which any diploma and degree holder up to the age of 25 can demand employment for one year and they will get a one-year salary of ₹100,000 for the term of the job. [104]
To counter the opposition's criticism on unemployment and inflation, the BJP has sought to highlight India's growing prominence on the world stage and highlighted the government's new social security programmes for the poor, such as providing free food grains and health insurance to people in need. [105] [106] Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted his business-friendly policies and insisted that initiatives like Startup India and infrastructure projects have provided employment in the informal economy, which is not accounted for in the official unemployment statistics. He cited different numbers from the Indian National Congress to insist that unemployment had actually reduced in the past few years. [107]
The BJP prepared a pamphlet for the Ram Mandir Inauguration Programmes to connect with families across the nation. After the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a new era of Hindu nationalistic sentiments, characterised by the Hindutva movement, have dominated the political sphere in India. [108] [109] [110] Modi kept a long-standing political pledge of the reconstruction of the Ram Mandir and was seen to have fulfilled the BJP's manifesto to the nation's Hindu population. [110] The Hindu nationalist ideology of Modi and the BJP has also garnered substantial support from Hindu community members. [111] [112] At the same time, Bollywood productions have been released with themes supporting the Modi government's policies and Hindu nationalist ideologies. [113] In response to such concerns, BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon acknowledged the existence of a "level of threat perception", but said that the party was trying to change that. [114] A major controversy was stirred when the opposition Congress Party and its leaders declined an invitation to the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, saying that the event was politicised into a 'BJP-RSS event'. [115] Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the invitation was an opportunity for the Congress to 'reduce its sin', and that history would continue to judge it as 'anti-Hindu'. [116] Two Shankaracharyas declined attending the event, stating that the ceremony was politicised as a campaign event at the half-built temple. Puri shankaracharya, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati said he would neither oppose nor attend the consecration. [117] [118] During a campaign rally, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath described the election as a contest between “devotees of Ram” and “anti-Ram forces” and urged voters to select the former. Modi also accused the opposition of plotting to raze the temple once they were in power. [119]
During a campaign rally in Rajasthan on 21 April, Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of prioritizing Muslim access to national wealth and planning to distribute resources among “those who have more children” and "infiltrators" once it was in power, which reflected stereotypes about Muslims reproducing in greater numbers and conspiracy theories pushed by the BJP that Muslims were planning to outnumber Hindus. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi's remarks a panic-filled "hate speech" and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition outperforming the BJP during the first phase of the election, while officials in Rajasthan received complaints from the Azad Adhikar Sena and a non-profit organisation demanding Modi's arrest and for his campaign to be suspended. [120] [121] Following Modi's speech, the BJP posted an animated video on its official Instagram account reiterating Modi's claims and showing Rahul Gandhi holding a copy of the Congress Party's election manifesto that morphs into the symbol of the All-India Muslim League. After being flagged by multiple users, the video was taken down less than 24 hours after its publication. [122] A similar video posted on X towards voters in Karnataka was also ordered taken down by the Electoral Commission and led to police opening cases against senior BJP leaders. [123]
A complaint letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (Save the Constitution Citizens' Campaign) organisation to the Election Commission of India, signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech "aiming at not only appealing to 'communal feelings' but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims". [124] [125]
On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Electoral Bond system of campaign financing that was introduced by the Modi government in 2017 which allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without limits was unconstitutional, saying that the process allowed donors to assert "influence over policymaking". [126] On 18 March, the court ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to provide all records regarding the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India by 21 March in order to match electoral donors with their recipients and rejected a plea by the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India from divulging the identities of donors. Initial reports suggest that among the leading donors to political parties were some of India's largest firms such as Vedanta Limited, Bharti Airtel, RPSG Group and Essel Mining. It also found that the BJP was the recipient of nearly half of all recorded donations. [127]
In total, the top five political parties in terms of electoral bonds received are the BJP, which received Rs 6,060.5 crore, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), which received Rs 1,609.5 crore, the Congress Party, with Rs 1,421.8 crore, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which received Rs 1,214.7 crore, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which received Rs 775.5 crore. [128] [129] [130] The biggest buyer of electoral bonds was found to be Santiago Martin, the Tamil Nadu-based head of the lottery firm Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited, who bought bonds worth 13.68 billion rupees ($163 million) between 2020 and 2024 and made donations to the TMC, the BJP, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which rules Tamil Nadu. The biggest single donor to any political party was Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), a construction firm based in Hyderabad that bought electoral bonds worth over 12 billion rupees ($144 million) between 2019 and 2024 and made donations to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the BJP, and the Congress Party, who alternated in ruling Telangana during that time. [131]
Some politicians from the opposition have termed Electoral Bonds a "scam" and an "extortion racket". [132] [133] [134] In response to allegations regarding the electoral bonds, BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam denied that the party had done any wrongdoing and said that its electoral bonds were gained "on merit". [131] However, Indian political observers have reached the conclusion that either Indian businessmen have been regularly bribing their way out of trouble, or that the BJP-controlled government has been using government agencies to extort them. From the data released by the SBI, it was found that companies gave donations around the time they received major government contracts. Close to half of the top 30 corporate donors were facing investigations by government agencies around the time they purchased electoral bonds. [135] [136] [137]
The national executive meeting of the BJP held on 16 and 17 January 2023 saw the party reaffirm its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extend the tenure of BJP national president J. P. Nadda. [138]
Charting out the BJP's strategy for the upcoming polls, Modi said in a speech to party workers that they should reach out to every section of society, including the marginalised and minority communities, "without electoral considerations". [139]
Following the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections, Modi debuted the slogan "Modi Ki Guarantee" for the 2024 polls. [140]
Abki Baar 400 Paar (This Time Surpassing 400) is a political slogan used by the BJP and Narendra Modi for the election. [141] [142] The slogan refers to the ambition of winning more than 400 out of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. [143]
The slogan has been used by the BJP in previous elections, including the 2019 general election with some changes. It has become a rallying cry for the party's supporters and a symbol of its political ambitions. [144] Election analysts have said that the path for the BJP to achieve this goal will likely be by winning more seats in the south of India than in previous elections. [145]
The party has held political rallies in multiple states with national leadership including Modi, BJP President J. P. Nadda and Amit Shah campaigning actively. [146] [147] [148]
The bloc's first joint rally was held in Patna, Bihar on 3 March 2024. The rally saw, among others, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, and senior Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja. Kharge attacked Kumar for frequently changing alliances and criticised the BJP for not fulfilling its promise of jobs and neglecting the country's poor and the majority. [149]
The alliance jointly held a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on 17 March, a day after the end of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The rally was attended by Gandhi, SS(UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and DMK leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. K. Stalin, among many others. [150] At the rally, Gandhi said that he was compelled to launch his yatra due to rising inflation and unemployment in the nation. [151]
A few days after arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam on 22 March, [152] the opposition alliance held a protest rally against the same in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi on 31 March, where opposition leaders alleged the corruption case on him and his subsequent arrest to be a "fabrication with political motives" and a "witch hunt". [153] [154] [155] At the rally, named "Loktantra Bachao" (Save Democracy), amid current events, the opposition tried to frame the election as being "democracy vs dictatorship". [156]
The Congress campaign was launched from Nagpur at a huge rally in which over 1 million people were expected to have attended in Nagpur, Maharashtra on 28 December 2023. [157] This rally also marked the 138th Congress Foundation Day and was being held to energise party cadres for the 2024 general election. [158] Party workers from all over the state were called to join the rally. [158] [159]
On 14 January, the party launched its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, [160] a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra held the previous year. [161] The yatra started in Thoubal, Manipur and ended in Mumbai on 16 March 2024. [160] It covered 6,713 kilometres (4,171 miles) across 14 states. [162]
Rahul Gandhi has warned that the whole of India will be on fire if the BJP wins the 2024 parliamentary elections and changes the Constitution, during an address at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. [163] [164] [165] [166]
The Congress started a crowdfunding campaign known as Donate for Desh (Donate for [the] Country) ahead of the general elections. It formally launched the campaign's digital version on 18 December 2023 at a dedicated website. It claimed to be inspired from Mahatma Gandhi's Tilak Swaraj Fund (1920–21). The physical version of the campaign, which be done via door-to-door collection drives, was launched on 28 December. [167] [168]
The campaign received ₹1.45 crore (US$180,000) on its first day, with the top five states in amount of donations being Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Karnataka. [169]
By the end of 2023, the campaign received around ₹9 crore (US$1.1 million), with 30% of the funds being collected from Telangana and Maharashtra alone. [170]
The campaign had collected about ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million) according to the party when on 28 January, it rebranded its crowdfunding campaign to Donate for Nyay (Donate for Justice), in line with Rahul Gandhi's ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. [171] The ensuing crowdfunding campaign collected 4 crores in 4 days. [172]
On 16 February 2024, the Congress Party alleged that the Income Tax Department (IT) ordered the freezing of bank accounts by the Congress Party containing 2.1 billion rupees ($25.3 million) as part of an ongoing legal dispute. [173] The Congress Party's treasurer Ajay Maken later added that tax authorities imposed a 2.1-billion rupee ($25 million) lien on 13 February, "virtually sealed" its bank accounts and confiscated 1.1 billion rupees ($14 million). The party's leader Rahul Gandhi complained that the restrictions had rendered the party unable to campaign properly, adding that "Our entire financial identity has been erased." Gandhi also accused Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of conducting a "criminal action" against the party, which the BJP denied. His mother and former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the tax issues are "part of the systemic efforts to cripple" the party. An appeal is currently pending in the Supreme Court. [174]
According to the IT Department's official sources, it has recovered ₹135 crore from the Congress for breaking the legislation exempting political parties from paying taxes, rather than freezing the party's bank accounts as the opposition party had claimed. [175] The party received notices from the IT department again on 29 March asking it to pay ₹1,823.08 crore (US$228 million). The Congress accused the BJP of engaging in "tax terrorism" and alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of income-tax laws and that the IT department should raise a demand of ₹4,617.58 crore (US$578 million) crore from the BJP for such violations. [176]
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) began their election campaign in Kerala after announcing 15 candidates in the state. [177]
The Rashtriya Janata Dal began its campaign with its Jan Vishwas Yatra ("People's Trust Yatra") on 20 February 2024. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav launched the yatra from Muzaffarpur in Bihar. The yatra lasted until 1 March 2024 and covered 33 districts. [178] [179] In Siwan on 23 February, Yadav termed the BJP "a dustbin" which takes in other parties that have become "garbage". [180] [181]
The election period also coincided with investigations by authorities into state officials belonging to opposition parties, such as Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is under investigation for alleged corruption in the allocation of liquor licences, and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested in February 2024 for allegedly facilitating an illegal land sale. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating four chief ministers not allied with the BJP on various charges, while investigations have been closed on former opposition politicians who have since joined the BJP. Hartosh Singh Bal, a journalist for the current affairs magazine The Caravan told Agence France-Presse that the move by government agencies indicated their behavior as "handmaidens of the ruling party to cow down the political opposition". [173]
Following Kejriwal's arrest on 21 March over the liquor license scam charges, Delhi's finance minister Atishi Singh accused the BJP of orchestrating a "political conspiracy" against Kejriwal. [182] His arrest also led to clashes between party leaders, supporters and the police on 22 March. [183] Rahul Gandhi, reacting to Kejriwal's arrest, said that a "scared dictator" wants to create a "dead democracy", without naming anyone. [184] After he was released on bail and allowed to vote, Kejriwal urged citizens to vote "vote against dictatorship". [185]
The BJP-led government has been known to use Enforcement Directorate raids to target opposition politicians critical of it, with 95% of cases registered being against opposition leaders. [186] [187] [188] Since 2014, 25 opposition leaders facing corruption charges have joined the BJP, with 23 of them having their inquiries closed or frozen after joining the ruling party. [189] This has led the Congress Party to compare the trend to a "washing machine" in one of its campaign videos. [122]
After an intraparty dispute that led to the splitting of the Shiv Sena party based in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court of India barred the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction which joined the I.N.D.I.A. alliance from using the party's historic bow-and-arrow symbol as its electoral symbol in balloting and awarded it instead to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena wing which joined the NDA. This led the UBT faction to adopt a torch as its electoral symbol. [190]
The BJP proposed a 'GYAN' formula consisting of four segments - Garib (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers) and Nari (women) in its manifesto. [191] The Bharatiya Janata Party started a campaign to gather public recommendations and suggestions for the advancement of the State and the country, which will be incorporated into the party's manifesto titled 'Modi ki guarantee' for the 2024 general elections. [192] [193] [194] [195] [196] [197] [198]
The Congress released their group-specific manifesto promises for the general election in the month of March. [205] The manifesto focuses on five major segments of the population and promises them:
The complete manifesto titled Nyay Patra (Hindi : न्याय पत्र, lit. 'Justice Paper') was released on 5 April 2024. [217] [218] Some noticeable points in the manifesto are (apart from above promises released earlier):
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
ABP News-CVoter | April 2024 [219] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 46.6 | 39.8 | 13.6 | 6.8 |
News 18 | March 2024 [220] | 118,616 | ±4% | 48 | 32 | 20 | 16 |
ABP News-CVoter | March 2024 [221] | 41,762 [222] | ±5% | 46 | 39 | 15 | 7 |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [223] | 323,357 [224] | ±3% | 52 | 42 | 6 | 10 |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [225] | 167,843 | ±2% | 43.6 | 27.7 | 24.9 | 15.9 |
India Today-CVoter | February 2024 [226] | 149,092 [227] | ±3–5% | 45 | 38 | 17 | 8 |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [228] | 156,843 [229] | ±2% | 41.8 | 28.6 | 29.6 | 13.2 |
ABP News-CVoter | December 2023 [230] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 42 | 38 | 20 | 4 |
Times Now-ETG | December 2023 [231] [232] | 147,231 [233] | ±3% | 44 | 39 | 17 | 5 |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [234] [235] | 54,250 | ±3% | 43.4 | 39.1 | 17.5 | 4.3 |
Times Now-ETG | October 2023 [236] | 135,100 [237] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 |
August 2023 [238] [239] | 110,662 [240] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 | |
India Today-CVoter | August 2023 [241] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 43 | 41 | 16 | 2 |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today-CVoter | January 2023 [242] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 43 | 30 | 27 | 13 |
2019 election results | 45.3% | 27.5% | 27.2% | NDA |
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
ABP News-CVoter | April 2024 [219] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 373 | 155 | 15 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | April 2024 [243] | 271,292 [244] | ±3% | 384 | 118 | 41 | NDA |
News18 | March 2024 [245] | 118,616 [246] | ±4% | 411 | 105 | 27 | NDA |
ABP News-CVoter | March 2024 [247] | 41,762 | ±5% | 366 | 156 | 21 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | March 2024 [248] | 162,900 [249] | ±3% | 378 | 98 | 67 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [250] | 323,357 | ±3% | 358–398 | 110–130 | 40–50 | NDA |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [225] | 167,843 | ±2% | 377 | 93 | 73 | NDA |
India Today-CVoter | February 2024 [251] | 149,092 [252] | ±3–5% | 335 | 166 | 42 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [253] | 156,843 | ±2% | 366 | 104 | 73 | NDA |
ABP-CVoter | December 2023 [230] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 295–335 | 165–205 | 35–65 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | December 2023 [231] [232] | 147,231 | ±3% | 319–339 | 148–168 | 52–61 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [234] [235] | 54,250 | ±3% | 315 | 172 | 56 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | October 2023 [236] | 135,100 | ±3% | 297–317 | 165–185 | 57–65 | NDA |
August 2023 [254] [239] | 110,662 | ±3% | 296–326 | 160–190 | 56–64 | NDA | |
India Today-CVoter | August 2023 [241] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 306 | 193 | 54 | NDA |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today-CVoter | January 2023 [255] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 298 | 153 | 92 | NDA |
2019 election results | 353 | 91 | 99 | NDA |
On 14 April 2024, the BJP invited foreign diplomats posted in the country as well as 25 overseas political parties including the Conservative and the Labour parties of the United Kingdom, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) of Germany and the Awami League of Bangladesh to observe the party's electoral campaign. [256] [257]
This initiative is part of the "Know BJP" campaign, aimed at external outreach and familiarisation with the election process. As part of this program, BJP president J. P. Nadda met with envoys from 13 countries. [258] [259]
During Phase 1 of the election, violence broke out outside a polling station in Thamanpokpi in Manipur. [277] [278] Clashes between BJP and TMC party workers were reported in the Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri constituencies of West Bengal, [279] [280] and one Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personnel was found dead in a polling booth in Cooch Behar. [281] [282] In Chhattisgarh, one CRPF personnel was killed during polling. [283] [284] Clashes between VCK and BJP cadres were reported in Chidambaram constituency in Tamil Nadu, where two VCK cadres and one BJP cadre were injured. [285] [286]
During Phase 2 of voting, eight voters in Kerala died of heat stroke while voting. [287] [288] In Manipur, two CPRF personnel were killed and two more were seriously injured in a militant attack in Bishnupur district, [289] [290] a man was killed in a gunfight between two unidentified groups in the Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts, [291] [292] and incidents of EVM vandalism, voter intimidation and coercion were reported in two polling stations in Ukhrul. [293] [294]
During Phase 6 of voting, Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Anantnag–Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir for the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, said several of her party workers were detained by police to prevent them from voting. In West Bengal, TMC workers blocked the car of BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul while she was on her way to vote in the Medinipur constituency. [295]
On social media platform X, certain accounts circulated a manipulated video of Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused the opposition of tampering with the video, leading to the registration of an FIR and a summons being issued to Telangana's Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. [296] A member of the Congress party and a member of the Aam Aadmi Party were arrested in connection with the incident. In April 2024 videos went viral which showed Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh campaigning for the Congress party. The two said the videos were done without their consent and were deepfakes. The BJP was also accused by the opposition of doctoring videos. [297]
On 3 May, Arun Reddy, the head of the Congress Party's social media division, was arrested on suspicion of producing a doctored video of Amit Shah giving a campaign speech promising to end help and other special treatment for Muslims and other non-privileged groups. The Congress Party denied Reddy's involvement and accused the BJP of cracking down on its rivals during the election. [298]
State/UT | Total | Voter turnout by phase | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 19 April | Phase 2 26 April | Phase 3 [300] 7 May | Phase 4 13 May | Phase 5 20 May | Phase 6 25 May | Phase 7 1 June | ||||||||||
Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | |
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 80.66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 80.66 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 77.68 | 2 | 77.68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Assam | 14 | 81.62 | 5 | 78.25 | 5 | 81.17 | 4 | 85.45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Bihar | 40 | 4 | 49.26 | 5 | 59.45 | 5 | 59.14 | 5 | 58.21 | 5 | 56.76 | 8 | 57.18 | 8 | ||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 72.17 | 1 | 68.29 | 3 | 76.24 | 7 | 71.98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Goa | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Gujarat | 26 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | 25 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Haryana | 10 | 64.80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 64.80 | – | – |
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | ||
Jharkhand | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 66.01 | 3 | 63.21 | 4 | 65.39 | 3 | ||
Karnataka | 28 | 70.64 | – | – | 14 | 69.56 | 14 | 71.84 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Kerala | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 66.87 | 6 | 67.75 | 6 | 58.59 | 9 | 66.74 | 8 | 72.05 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Maharashtra | 48 | 61.29 | 5 | 63.71 | 8 | 62.71 | 11 | 63.55 | 11 | 62.21 | 13 | 56.89 | – | – | – | – |
Manipur | 2 | 80.47 | 1+1⁄2 | 76.10 | 1⁄2 | 84.85 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Meghalaya | 2 | 76.60 | 2 | 76.60 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Mizoram | 1 | 56.87 | 1 | 56.87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Nagaland | 1 | 57.72 | 1 | 57.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Odisha | 21 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 75.68 | 5 | 73.50 | 6 | 74.45 | 6 | ||
Punjab | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | ||
Rajasthan | 25 | 61.34 | 12 | 57.65 | 13 | 65.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Sikkim | 1 | 79.88 | 1 | 79.88 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 69.72 | 39 | 69.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Telangana | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tripura | 2 | 80.92 | 1 | 81.48 | 1 | 80.36 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 8 | 61.11 | 8 | 55.19 | 10 | 57.55 | 13 | 58.22 | 14 | 58.02 | 14 | 54.04 | 13 | ||
Uttarakhand | 5 | 57.22 | 5 | 57.22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
West Bengal | 42 | 3 | 81.91 | 3 | 76.58 | 4 | 77.53 | 8 | 80.22 | 7 | 78.45 | 8 | 82.71 | 9 | ||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 64.10 | 1 | 64.10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Chandigarh | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Delhi | 7 | 58.69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 58.69 | – | – |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 1 | 68.27 | 1 | 72.22 | – | – | 1 | 38.49 | 1 | 59.10 | 1 | 54.84 | – | – | |
Ladakh | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – |
Lakshadweep | 1 | 84.16 | 1 | 84.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Puducherry | 1 | 78.90 | 1 | 78.90 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Total | 543 | 101+1⁄2 | 66.14 | 87+1⁄2 | 66.71 | 93 | 65.68 | 96 | 69.16 | 49 | 62.20 | 58 | 63.36 | 57 |
Following the first round, the BJP won its first seat after Mukesh Dalal, its candidate for Surat constituency in Gujarat was elected unopposed following rejection and withdrawal of other candidates. [301] [302] No voting was held in the constituency, as the ECI had certified the results two weeks prior due to the absence of rival candidates. [303]
State/Union Territory | Seats | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | ||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | |||
Assam | 14 | |||
Bihar | 40 | |||
Chandigarh | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | |||
Delhi | 7 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Gujarat | 26 | 1 [lower-alpha 1] | ||
Haryana | 10 | |||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | |||
Jharkhand | 14 | |||
Karnataka | 28 | |||
Kerala | 20 | |||
Ladakh | 1 | |||
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | |||
Maharashtra | 48 | |||
Manipur | 2 | |||
Meghalaya | 2 | |||
Mizoram | 1 | |||
Nagaland | 1 | |||
Odisha | 21 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Punjab | 13 | |||
Rajasthan | 25 | |||
Sikkim | 1 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | |||
Telangana | 17 | |||
Tripura | 2 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
West Bengal | 42 | |||
Total | 543 | 1 | ||
Rahul Rajiv Gandhi is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament who represents the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, in the Lok Sabha. He previously represented the constituency of Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, and was the party president from December 2017 to July 2019. Gandhi is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India and a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. He is the son of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Madhusudan Devram Mistry is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress.
General elections were held in India in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009 to elect the members of the fifteenth Lok Sabha. With an electorate of 716 million, it was the largest democratic election in the world until being surpassed by the 2014 general election.
General elections were held in India in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to elect the members of the 16th Lok Sabha. With 834 million registered voters, they were the largest-ever elections in the world until being surpassed by the 2019 elections. Around 23.1 million or 2.7% of the total eligible voters were aged 18–19 years. A total of 8,251 candidates contested the 543 elected Lok Sabha seats. The average election turnout over all nine phases was around 66.40%, the highest ever in the history of Indian general elections.
Amethi is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This constituency covers the entire Amethi district and was created in 1967. Its first member of parliament (MP) was Vidya Dhar Bajpai of the Indian National Congress (INC) who was elected in 1967 and held his seat in the next election in 1971. In the 1977 election, Ravindra Pratap Singh of the Janata Party became its MP. Singh was defeated in 1980 by Sanjay Gandhi of the INC. Later the same year, Gandhi died in a plane crash. This forced a by election in 1981 which was won by his brother, Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi went on to represent this constituency until 1991, when he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The subsequent by election held the same year was won by Satish Sharma of the INC. Sharma was re-elected in 1996. Sanjaya Sinh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated Sharma in the 1998 election. The widow of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi represented this constituency from 1999 to 2004. Her son, Rahul Gandhi, was elected in 2004. He was the fourth MP from the Nehru–Gandhi family since 1980 to represent the seat. Gandhi held the seat till the 2019 election when he was defeated by a margin of 55,000 votes by the BJP's Smriti Irani.
The Indian general election of 2014 were held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha in India. Voting took place in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India to elect members of parliament in the Lok Sabha. The result of this election was declared on 16 May. The 15th Lok Sabha completed its constitutional mandate on 31 May 2014. Since the last general election in 2009, the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, and other similar moves by Baba Ramdev, have gathered momentum and political interest. Issues such as Inflation, price rise and corruption were some of the chief issues.
The Indian National Congress (INC) is one of the two major political parties in India. The prominent members of the party are the president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi. INC took part in the elections alongside other members of the United Progressive Alliance. On the fourth anniversary of the second United Progressive Alliance government, the INC announced that its campaign for the election would be led by Prime minister Manmohan Singh, party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter turnout was over 67 per cent – the highest ever, as well as the highest ever participation by women voters.
The 2019 Indian general election was held in Kerala on 23 April 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is one of the two major political parties in India and has been the ruling party since the 16th Lok Sabha. It was seeking re-election in the 2019 parliamentary election as the leading party of the National Democratic Alliance, with Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate and party president Amit Shah as the campaign chief.
To constitute India's 17th Lok Sabha, general elections were held in April–May 2019. The results were announced on 23 May 2019. The main contenders were two alliance groups of the Incumbent National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition United Progressive Alliance and Indian National Congress respectively. The 2019 Indian general election has been the Largest Democratic exercise in History so far, with around 912 million eligible voters.
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Karnataka on 10 May 2023 to elect all 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 13 May 2023.
The Indian National Congress is known as the Grand Old Party of India. The party had ruled India for most of its post independence period for nearly 54 years. The party led coalition United Progressive Alliance is in opposition bench in 16th Lok Sabha and 17th Lok Sabha against the National Democratic Alliance. The party is contesting the elections with the promise of upholding Nyay (justice), secularism, federalism, pluralism, democracy and constitutionalism.
The 2024 Indian general election is being held in Uttar Pradesh in all seven phases from 19 April to 1 June to elect 80 members of the 18th Lok Sabha, with the results declared on 4 June. Bye-polls for Dadraul, Lucknow East, Gainsari, and Duddhi assembly constituencies will be held alongside this election.
The 2024 Indian general election in Bihar will be held in all 7 phases from 19 April to 1 June to elect 40 members of the 18th Lok Sabha, with the results declared on 4 June.
The 2024 Indian general election in Punjab will be held on 1 June 2024 to elect 13 members of 18th Lok Sabha.
The 2024 Indian general election in Karnataka will be held on 26 April 2024, and 7 May 2024, during the second and third phases respectively, to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The 2024 Indian general election in Telangana was held on 13 May 2024 to elect 17 members of 18th Lok Sabha. Voter turnout of 66.30% has been recorded.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) is a big tent multi party political alliance of several political parties in India led by India's largest opposition party, the Indian National Congress. The alliance is in opposition to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Indian general elections.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, commonly referred to as the Nyay Yatra was a movement led by the Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, starting on 14 January 2024 from Thoubal in Manipur and ended on 16 March 2024 in Mumbai spanning east-west of India. The campaign was aimed to increase the party's electoral engagement across the breadth of the country and is seen as a strategy for the upcoming national elections. This political tour was a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Unlike the last time though, the Yatra was not done entirely on foot and instead was done in hybrid mode. For the longer parts of the journey, the party used buses. The change was due to time constraint imposed by the upcoming general election.