As we all know, election in India is the largest in the world this time around, wherein the country will select its new prime minister for a term of five years and based on performance the new government may well continue for a second term. In the following sections, we will look at some of the most interesting facts about this election.
Scale:
In this election, about eight hundred and fourteen million voters will be casting their votes for the Lok Sabha polls. Last time in 2009, the number of voters was about 713 million.
The scale of this election is massive and it will give you an idea of it by the fact that total voting pool on India is bigger than combined population of US and W. Europe. Due to such magnitude, the voting has been divided into nine phases spread over a period of five weeks with 930,000 polling stations to be managed.
Criminality:
It is dismal fact that almost 30% of Indian politicians sitting in the parliament have criminal charges against them. If we look at the candidates for this election, the percentage is not going to change.
As per reports, out of the candidates taking part in the election, around a 5th of them have criminal charges against them. It is surprising that no one from the members of the US Congress have any criminal charges against them. If we do the calculations, on average Indian parliamentarians have sixty times more probability of facing criminal charges as opposed to members of the US Congress.
Young Voters:
Out of the total population going to cast their vote, ten percent would be first time voters. The country has a young population with percentage of people aged 35 or less at 65%.
Thus, the youth voters are putting in their weight towards candidates giving more importance to economic development in their election agenda.
These young voters are active on social media thus spending by political parties on social media channels has also increased and is expected to cross $83 million.
Presence of Women:
Women are now a force to reckon with 48.5% of the population eligible to vote being women. Issues that will affect whom these women voters select include topics like inflation and safety.
Indian women actively manage household budget and how inflation is expected to be controlled by any party will be an important point women voters will look into before casting their vote.
In various parts of the country, incidences of sexual assaults against women have also increased and it will be also a major issue political parties will need to have answers ready for.
Regional Parties:
From 1989, there has been no government that was formed by a single party and all governments have been coalitions. Thus, the role of regional parties in this election will be significant and will decide which government forms at the center.
Finally, we would like to say that elections in India are always on a large scale due to the number of voters that take part in it. The country faces many issues presently and it is to be seen how the new government tackles them and put the country on a growth track.
