New Delhi: India's mammoth parliamentary election will start
on 7 April, the Election Commission of India announced on Wednesday, kicking
off a race that pits BJP's Narendra Modi against the ruling Congress party.
Here key highlights:
• Roughly 814.5 million people are registered to vote, an
increase of more than 100 million since the last parliamentary election in
2009. In other words, India has added a population greater than that of the Philipines
to its voter rolls in five years.
• Of those, over 23 million are between 18 to 19 years old.
A surge in enrollment in this age group means they now constitute 2.88 percent
of total voters, against 0.75 percent in 2009.
• Election dates in parliamentary constituencies were set
taking into consideration extreme summer heat, monsoon rains, harvest seasons,
religious festivals and most importantly, school exams. Most polling stations
are placed in schools.
• Voters will cast their ballots
in about 930,000 polling stations, an increase of nearly 12 percent since 2009.
• For the first time in a
general election, voters will have a "None of the Above" option on
the ballot papers and electronic voting machines. The option was brought in
last year in response to activist groups who said voters were too often forced
to choose between several candidates with criminal backgrounds.
• To curb "the abuse of money power"
during the elections, "flying squads" and static surveillance teams
will guard against the distribution of cash or other bribes to voters.
Committees will also keep their eyes peeled for illegal election advertisements
and politically funded stories planted in the media.
• The income tax department and
the government's financial intelligence unit have been instructed to keep watch
on the movement of cash during elections. In previous elections, political
operatives were caught driving with suitcases packed with cash in their car trunks.
• The Election Commission will
monitor production, storage and distribution of liquor during elections. Indian
political parties are notorious for handing out alcohol and even prescription
medication as bribes to voters.
• Transgender persons can mark
their gender as "Others" on the electoral rolls, a category that did
not exist in 2009. 28,314 voters have listed their gender in this way.
• Booth officers will do door to
door surveys to prepare a list of voters found absent at their home in an
effort to prevent impersonation. Dead voters and those who have moved from
their homes will be added to a list to check against the rolls to ensure no
foul play on voting day.
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Facts and figures for India’s 2014 general election: V.S Sampath :Chief Election Commissioner of India.
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Facts and figures for India’s 2014 general election: V.S Sampath :Chief Election Commissioner of India.
