ELECTIONS 2024: India follows a federal system of governance, which means there is a government at the state level and at the central level. The state-level elections are known as assembly elections, when representatives are elected for the Vidhan Sabha, while the central-level polls are called the general elections, when the elected candidates are sent to the Lok Sabha. This democratic exercise is followed every five years. The general elections for 2024 are going on in full swing, with citizens voting to elect representatives to the lower house of Parliament. Four phases of voting to elect the 18th Lok Sabha have already completed, while the fifth phase is taking place on Monday, May 20, leaving two more to be held on May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Every vote matters, and shapes the destiny of the country. To know more about the process, National Geographic India takes a deep dive into the intricacies of the electoral process, unravelling the journey from casting a ballot to installing the prime minister of India.
Mapping Representation: The larger the state’s population, the more the number of constituencies. With 28 states and 8 Union Territories, India is currently divided into 543 parliamentary constituencies.
Population vs. Seats: Currently, Uttar Pradesh with an estimated population of 24 crore people holds 80 seats in the Lok Sabha, whereas Kerala with a population of 3.5 crore has 20 seats.
Candidates and Contests: During elections, candidates from various political parties compete for votes in their respective constituencies. Voters exercise their right to vote to elect their preferred candidate to represent them in Parliament.
Winning the Race: The candidate who secures the maximum number of votes wins the election and earns a seat in the Lok Sabha.
The Big Question: How Is The Prime Minister Chosen?
Whichever party or coalition has 50% or more seats in the Lok Sabha, forms the central government for the next five years, and chooses a candidate among themselves as the Prime Minister of India. The chosen one must be a member of Parliament, in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) or the Upper House (Rajya Sabha). While parties or coalitions some times go into the elections with a declared prime minister face, that's not mandatory. The winning party or coalition can decide on the PM choice after results also. Incumbent PM Narendra Modi is the PM face of the ruling National Democratic Alliance in the current elections too. However, the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc does not have a declared PM candidate. In 2004, when the UPA government came to power, Manmohan Singh was chosen for the PM post after the verdict was out.
National Geographic is set to premiere India Votes: World’s Largest Election, a peek into the grand spectacle of Indian General Elections, on May 23, Thursday, at 8 pm.