India elections 2024: World’s biggest voting exercise, explained

India will start its parliamentary elections on Friday, as voting will take place over six weeks amid the world's biggest democratic vote.

968 million Indian voters in a country of around 1.3 billion will cast their ballots to elect lawmakers who will rule the country over the next five years. 497 million of those voting will be male, and 471 million female.

Votes are set to be cast at over 1 million stations and across over 5.5 million electronic voting machines.

Indians are set to select 543 lawmakers for the lower house of India's parliament, while the president will nominate two more lawmakers.

A party or coalition must gain 272 seats to form a government with a five-year mandate.

Voting from spring to summer

Similarly to the 2019 election, the vote will occur over seven phases.

India has a "first-past-the-post electoral system." This approach entails that each citizen votes for a candidate put forward, and the one with the most votes is elected.

Reportedly, India has over 2,500 parties, although only 10 hold 86 percent of all seats in India's parliament or Lok Sabha.

Close to 18 million young people are registered to vote for the first time, which is considered an important sector for those on the campaign trail, as 40 percent of the country is believed to be under 25.

One of the most important states is Uttar Pradesh (UP), home to 240 million citizens, making it the country's most populated state, which sends more lawmakers to parliament than others.

The elections are set to take place as India's economy is the globe's fastest emerging economy, with a GDP of $3.7tn. It has securely positioned itself as the fifth-largest economy.

However, the elections take place at a crucial point when opposition political parties and rights groups argue that Indian democracy is under threat amid allegations opposition officials have been spied on, their bank accounts frozen, alongside constraints on parliament, the justice system and freedom of the press.

Rights groups say authorities have used politically motivated charges against opposition figures. They say it often entails charging them with a litany of offences, including terrorism, although the government has always denied the allegation.

The Vote

The Majority of India's 22 states and federally administered regions require one day to vote. However, states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar will vote in all seven phases.

The 1st phase of the elections, on April 19, will be for 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states.

The 2nd phase will be April 26 for 89 seats across 13 states.

The 3rd phase will be on May 7 for 94 seats across 12 States, the 4th on May 13 for 96 seats across 10 States, the 5th on May 20 for 49 seats across eight states, the 6th on May 25 for 57 seats across seven states, and the 7th on June 1 for 57 constituencies across eight states.

The vote count will happen after June 4.

Voting has been reportedly staggered due to security and logistical concerns.

Parties

The election is expected to be contested by the two main blocs – the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the opposition alliance, INDIA, headed by the Indian National Congress, which has ruled India for much of its post-independence years until 2014 when the party faced a major electoral debacle at the hands of the BJP.

The BJP

Today, the BJP is the largest political group, with around 180 million members. It emerged from the Jan Sangh party, which reports describe as a spinoff of a men-only Hindu nationalist group—the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The BJP began life in 1980, although years later, in 2014, it emerged as a single largest party to form a government with its own majority under Modi.

Modi

Considered a divisive figure, 73-year-old Modi was born and raised in a small town in the western state of Gujarat. In his 20s, he joined the Hindu nationalist movement and the Jan Sangh, eventually becoming Gujarat's chief minister for over three terms. His tenure however was stained by the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, which left 1000 people, mostly Muslims, dead.

Over a decade later, Modi led the BJP to a conclusive win in the 2014 general election.

Critics say his fiery brand of right-wing Hindu nationalism affords no space for minorities. At the same time, his use of religion and its symbolism has helped him to secure the popular vote from the 80 percent Hindu population.

Some of Modi's controversies include revoking India-administrated Kashmir's semi-autonomous status to citizenship legalisation, which his detractors say is anti-Muslim - in a country that is also home to 200 million Muslims. For Modi and the BJP, the abrogation of India-administrated Kashmir’s special status was a much-needed move to eradicate corruption and minimise violence in the troubled region. And the citizenship move, the BJP argues, is meant to host non-Muslim religious minorities from neighbouring countries and naturalise them in India.

While India has long-standing religious fault lines, critics suggest they have deepened since Modi's election - a claim rejected by the ruling party.

Under Modi, his detractors say India is seeking to position itself as a Hindu state and pivoting away from its secular identity.

The BJP gained 303 seats in the previous election, while the Congress party secured 52.

On this occasion, Modi will push for a record-levelling third consecutive mandate. The incumbent is expected to cross the 400 mark.

Opposition

Reports describe the opposition alliance as facing challenges to keep a "united front" despite putting several candidates in the various constituencies forward. INDIA groups together over two dozen parties, such as Congress, which dominated Indian politics for several decades before the BJP's success in 2014.

The opposition says it faces significant challenges, including allegations that authorities have pressured many influential leaders. These include allegations of raids by security forces while tax agencies have frozen bank accounts for several weeks - straining key campaign funding.

In other circumstances, opposition figures such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been imprisoned for corruption allegations, which he denies.

The opposition in the Asian superpower has called on India's electoral authorities to step in, although the body has had its integrity and independence questioned.

Competing campaign narratives

The vast majority of surveys and polling suggest a clear win for the BJP in the 2024 elections, which have pushed the narrative that India's perception in the international arena has changed under Modi.

The BJP's campaign has also touched upon increasing unemployment, curbing inflation amid global economic challenges alongside development.

In contrast, the INDIA alliance has resisted the ruling party, underscoring increasing unemployment and corruption and questioning the inflation data.

Critics of the ruling party and the opposition suggest that the campaign failed to address the daily troubles that concern citizens, such as unemployment, increasing inequality, and inflation. At the same time, much of the media is considered pro-government.

Joblessness remains a perennial issue, with over seven million young Indians entering the labour market each year, although millions struggle to secure employment.