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Millions of people in several Indian states and territories cast their votes on Friday as the world's most populous country begins general elections. The general election will last six weeks and will be the largest democratic movement in history, with approximately 1 billion voters.
Voters from tribal communities stand in line to cast their votes outside polling stations during the voting period. … [+]
important facts
968.8 million According to the Election Commission of India, India is the “world's largest electoral constituency” and its citizens are eligible to vote in general elections.
Voting will be held in various locations seven stages It was held for six weeks from April 19 to June 1 in 28 states and eight union territories in the country.
voters nationwide 543 The constituencies elect members to represent them in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's parliament.
is more than 2,700 political parties They are registered with the Election Commission, and the total number of candidates this year has not been announced. 8,000 candidates He ran as a candidate in the 2019 general election.
Election officials expect setup 1.2 million Polling stations across India.
But the main candidates are Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and a coalition of national and regional opposition parties united under the banner of the Indian National Inclusive Alliance for Development (INDIA).
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Polls were conducted Friday in 21 states and territories, covering 102 of 543 electoral districts. This includes all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, South India's most populous state. As of 3:00 p.m. local time, the overall turnout was approximately 50%.
tangent
Voters include 18.5 million voters aged 18 and 19 and 197.4 million voters in their 20s. Additionally, the voter rolls include 48,044 voters categorized by a third gender, of which 497 million are male voters and 471 million are female voters.
amazing facts
Election commissions are required to ensure access to voting stations even for people living in the most remote areas of the country. Previous elections included setting up the world's highest polling station at Trashigang, located at 15,256 feet above sea level in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. In 2019, five polling officials went deep into Gujarat's Gir forest to allow Varadas Darshandas, the sole custodian of the forest temple, to vote.
big number
67.40%. This is the total turnout for the 2019 general election, when there were 896 million voters.
important quotes
“In our great democracy, the elections are yours, the choices are yours…you decide your government. We are doing it for the villages and towns and, of course, for the country,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. Said he said in a video statement on social media.
References
2024 is the biggest election year in history — here are the countries polling this year (Forbes)
