An Indian voter shows her ink-marked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Uttar Pradesh. EPA
An Indian voter shows her ink-marked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Uttar Pradesh. EPA
An Indian voter shows her ink-marked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Uttar Pradesh. EPA
An Indian voter shows her ink-marked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Uttar Pradesh. EPA

India election 2024: How the world's largest polls are being staged


Taniya Dutta
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India is holding the world’s largest and most expensive election, with nearly 970 million people eligible to vote.

The election is being held in seven stages across the vast country from Friday, April 19 to June 1. The votes will be counted on June 4, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on Saturday, and results are expected on the same day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Indian National Congress are among more than 2,600 registered parties in the country.

About 970 million people are eligible to vote in the elections. AP
About 970 million people are eligible to vote in the elections. AP

How many people will be voting?

With 1.4 billion people, India is the world’s largest democracy. It hold elections every five years to elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha – the lower house of Parliament.

A political party or an alliance of parties needs 272 seats to form a government.

There are nearly 970 million voters across India's 28 states and eight federally administered territories – a bigger electorate than the US and the EU combined. They include 471 million women and nearly 200 million people between the age of 18 to 29. In addition to more than 18 million Indians able to vote for the first time after turning 18, there are also nearly 18 million voters in their eighties or older, including 218,000 centenarians.

The election is being held in seven phases to allow authorities to provide ample security and logistics, including the movement of security forces and electronic voting machines.

Nearly 18 million Indians 80 or older, including 218,000 centenarians, are eligible to vote in the elections. EPA
Nearly 18 million Indians 80 or older, including 218,000 centenarians, are eligible to vote in the elections. EPA

How are votes cast?

India uses electronic voting machines that list the candidates and symbols of their political parties. Voters press the button next to their preferred candidate's name to cast their vote. They can also press a button labelled "none of the above" to indicate that they do not approve of any of the choices.

The machines also have a serial number in Braille to help visually impaired voters.

Some machines are equipped with a system known as "Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail", which prints a paper slip when a voter cast their votes on the voting machines that verifies their vote for the candidate or the political party.

The voting machines are largely seen as a tamper-proof, but critics and opposition leaders often claim that the devices can be rigged.

The Election Commission said more than 5.5 million voting machines will be used in the election, compared with about 1.8 million in the 2019 election.

A voter uses an electronic voting machine.
A voter uses an electronic voting machine.

Reaching all voters

Polling is an extensive and expansive process in India, the seventh-largest country in the world, as electoral officials need to reach voters in far-flung villages in the mountains, deserts and forests.

More than 1.5 million polling booths have been set up across the 28 states and eight federally ruled territories in the country.

More than 15 million election officials, including security forces, are deployed to ensure free and fair elections.

Election officials and security forces travel by foot, road, train, helicopter, boat, and sometimes elephant to reach remote areas carrying the voting machines.

In 2019 the Election Commission set up a temporary booth for a single female voter in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is covered with dense forest and snow-capped mountains and borders China.

A team of six election workers took two days to travel 40km to set up the booth.

Officials flew by helicopter to Tashigang in Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous state in the Himalayas neighbouring Tibet, to set up the highest polling station in the world at 4,650 metres above sea level.

An Indian election official takes an electronic voting machine and other materials by tricycle to a polling station on Ghoramara Island in 2019. AFP
An Indian election official takes an electronic voting machine and other materials by tricycle to a polling station on Ghoramara Island in 2019. AFP

Who are India's main parties?

There are six major parties including Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, which had been the dominant party since India gained independence from Britain in 1947.

While the BJP is part of the National Democratic Alliance with 37 other parties, the Congress has joined hands with 25 parties to form the INDIA alliance to take on Mr Modi’s party.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which rules the capital Delhi and the neighbouring Punjab state, is also contesting the general election.

The NDA alliance won 353 seats in 2019, out of which 303 seats were won by the BJP. The Congress won 52 seats.

The BJP received 37.36 per cent of the vote – the highest share for a single party since the general election in 1989.

The Congress managed to get 19.5 per cent.

The 2019 election was also notable for its voter turnout of more than 67 per cent, a record for India.

The BJP has launched a “Once Again Modi” campaign while the Prime Minister is offering voters his “Modi’s Guarantee” to fulfil promises of economic growth and prosperity. The party's Viksit Bharat (Developed India) campaign promises to make the country a developed nation by 2047.

The Congress-led opposition has taken up the issues of unemployment, which is hovering at nearly 10 per cent, inflation and farmers’ issues, including the demand for a minimum guaranteed price for their produce.

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi

  

 

 

 

Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.

 
Fight card

1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)

2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)

3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)

4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)

5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)

6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)

7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)

8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)

9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)

10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)

11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)

12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)

Updated: April 19, 2024, 11:23 AM`