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Elections in India are known as the largest and most expensive democratic event in the world. Photo/Reuters
NEW DELHI – About 969 million people will take part in massive elections to determine who will rule the world's most populous country. This election in India is known to have many unique features.
Moreover, India, the world's largest democracy, has begun parliamentary elections lasting two and a half months to decide who will rule the South Asian country.
On Saturday, the Election Commission of India – the country's independent election management body – announced the date for a democratic exercise of unparalleled scale globally and in history.
From the Himalayas in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, from the hills in the east to the deserts in the west, and in the concrete jungles of the world's largest cities to the smallest villages, there are an estimated 969 million voters. have the right to vote. They will elect 543 politicians to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. Two other members were nominated, with a total strength of 545 people in the DPR.
Elections in India are colossal, colorful and complex.
7 Unique Features of India's Largest Parliamentary Election in the World
1. 82 days, seven phases
Photo/Reuters
According to Al Jazeera, the election process which started on Saturday will continue for 82 days until the results are announced on June 4. With the announcement of the schedule, the model code of conduct also comes into play – campaign rules now apply, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is not supposed to do that. to announce new policies that could influence voters.
Voting will be conducted in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, said Rajiv Kumar, India's chief election commissioner. Vote counting will take place on June 4. Assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will also take place simultaneously with the national elections.
After April 19, other voting dates are April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. Some states will complete voting in one day, while others will conduct voting in several stages.
Over the years, the number of voting days has varied greatly – from the shortest four days ever in 1980, to 39 days in the 2019 election, to 44 days in 2024.
The main reason for holding these multi-phase elections is because of the large deployment of federal security forces needed to check everything from election-related violence to fraud attempts, according to N Gopalaswami, India's former chief election commissioner.