India votes: Biggest democratic exercise begins today

First leg of nine-phase election process kicks off.

DELHI:

Millions of voters will head to the polls in India today (Monday) as general elections kick off in the country of 1.2 billion.

India has a bicameral legislature, but the upper house — loosely modelled on the House of Lords — has just 245 members. It is the lower house which has financial powers and the capacity to veto legislation.

A voting population of over 800 million will elect 543 parliamentarians for the lower house – the Lok Sabha — from across the country in nine phases. The 2009 Lok Sabha polls, incidentally, were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13.

The first states in the contest for a prize that brings with it power and money will be six constituencies in the north eastern states of Assam and Tripura on April 7.

The nine-phase schedule is as follows: six constituencies will go to the polls on April 7; seven constituencies will vote in the second phase on April 9; 92 constituencies will vote on April 10; five constituencies will vote on April 12; 122 constituencies will vote on April 17; 117 constituencies will vote on April 24; 89 constituencies will vote on April 30; 64 constituencies will vote on May 7; and 41 constituencies will vote in the ninth and final phase on May 12. Results are due to be announced on May 16.

Uttar Pradesh with 80 seats holds the key in the Lok Sabha. Other important ‘swing’ states are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

There are two categories of voters that contestants and political parties are eyeing with trepidation and hope; this election is expected to witness the highest number of first time voters in the age bracket of 18 to19 year olds at 23 million, according to data released by the Election Commission. The minimum voting age in India is 18.

According to data released by the Election Commission, India’s electorate has grown by 4.7 times from the first general elections held in 1951 to 1952. Of this, first time voters in the age bracket of 18 to 19 year olds are 23 million.

 There has, however, been no increase in the proportion of women voters in the last 40 years. The 2011 census has registered a greater increase in urban population than rural population for the first time since India’s independence, so political parties have to now think of ways of wooing urban voters too. A Washington Post story stated that Indian election campaigns were mimicking Obama-style campaign tactics.

“Are you on Facebook? Twitter? Do you use WhatsApp to chat with friends? We would like to send out some political jokes, Modi messages and videos. Can you post and circulate them among your friends?” one volunteer asked a probable voter. 

For the first time

There are several firsts in the 2014 general election in India. These include:

The ‘none of the above (Nota) option in voting. The voter can opt for a Nota option which denotes his disgust with the existing options.

In all constituencies, electronic voting machines will be employed, which means even an unlettered candidate has to do nothing beyond pressing a button. However, a system of paper trail for electronic voting will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis.

Candidates in a parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Indian Rs7 million up from Indian Rs4 million in 2011.

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Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2014.