EXPLAINER
A total of 102 constituencies across 21 states will vote on April 19 for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The first of seven phases of Indian national elections is set to begin on April 19. These elections are for the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. The party or coalition that wins the majority of seats in the Lok Sabha will form the next government.
It is the largest democratic exercise in the world – and in history –, with 969 million registered voters eligible to vote using 5.5 million electronic voting machines over 44 days. The votes will be counted and the results will be announced on June 4th.
Being a multi-party democracy, India’s elections will see a number of national and regional parties competing for votes. But two main coalitions are facing each other directly as candidates for leadership of the nation: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and a coalition of 28 parties called the National Alliance of Inclusive Development of India (INDIA), led by the main opposition, the Indian National Congress.
Who votes in phase 1?
In the first phase, 102 constituencies in 21 states and union territories vote, including:
- Tamil Nadu: All 39 seats in the state
- Rajasthan: Twelve of the state’s 25 seats
- Uttar Pradesh: Eight of the state’s 80 seats
- Madhya Pradesh: Six of the state’s 29 seats
- Maharashtra: Five of the state’s 48 seats
- Uttarakhand: All five state seats
- Assam: Five of the state’s 14 seats
- Bihar: Four of the state’s 40 seats
- West Bengal: Three of the state’s 42 seats
- Arunachal Pradesh: Both two state seats
- Manipura: Both two state seats
- Megalaia: Both two state seats
- Chattisgarh: One of the state’s 11 seats
- Mizoram: The only seat of the state
- Nagaland: The only seat of the state
- Sikkim: The only seat of the state
- Tripura: One of the state’s two seats
- Jammu and Kashmir: One in every five seats
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The only seat of the union territory
- Lakshadweep: The only seat of the union territory
- Puducherry: The only seat of the union territory
What are some of the key constituencies that will vote on April 19?
- Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Modi’s BJP has traditionally struggled to break through the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where it won zero of the 39 seats in 2019. This time, the party is betting on a rising star, the party’s state leader K Annamalai, to deliver an unlikely victory for Coimbatore.
- Nagpur, Maharashtra: Federal Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari – a senior BJP leader who some political analysts see as a potential challenger to Modi – is running in Nagpur, a city famous for its oranges. Nagpur is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu-majority umbrella group that is the ideological mentor of the BJP.
- Manipura: Both seats in the state will vote, partly in the first phase, on April 19, and partly in the second phase, on April 26. The elections are being held in a context of ethnic conflict that has effectively fractured Manipur between its plains – where the majority Meitei community predominantly lives – and the hills – where the Kuki community lives. More than 200 people have been killed in clashes since last May between the two communities, with many blaming the state’s BJP government for a biased role and its failure to stop the violence. Will he pay a political price?
- Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh: The epicenter of anti-Muslim riots in 2013, which some observers believe helped the BJP gain major prominence in India’s most populous state in 2014 (72 of 80 seats), Muzaffarnagar votes on April 19. Muslim population, but the BJP’s ability to consolidate Hindu votes helped it win in 2014 and 2019.
When does voting start and end?
Voting will begin at 7am local (01:30 GMT) and end at 6pm local (12:30 GMT). Voters in line until closing time can vote, even if it means keeping polling stations open longer.
Who governs the states that vote in the first phase?
- Tamil Nadu is governed by an alliance led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, comprising parties from INDIA.
- The BJP rules in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
- The BJP is also in power through alliances in Maharashtra, Bihar, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Puducherry.
- The Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are governed by the federal government, with no democratically elected government. Jammu and Kashmir is also governed by New Delhi, with no state elections since the Modi government withdrew its special status in 2019.
- West Bengal is governed by the All India Trinamool Congress Party, a part of the INDIA alliance.
- A coalition of six regional parties, the Zoram People’s Movement, governs Mizoram.
Who won these Lok Sabha seats in 2019?
- In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – many of which are now part of the INDIA group – won 45 of the 102 seats that will be voted on on April 19.
- The BJP-led NDA won 42 of these seats.
- In Tamil Nadu, the biggest prize of the first phase, the NDA alliance won one seat: this was for the regional All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The BJP itself did not win any seats. The other 38 seats in Tamil Nadu went to the UPA, with the Congress winning eight, the DMK winning 23 and other allies winning the rest.
- In Assam, a delimitation exercise last year changed the organization of constituencies. This year, Kaziranga replaced what was Kaliabor in 2019, with some changes. The Congress won this seat in 2019. Sonitpur replaced Tezpur, which the BJP won in 2019.
The second phase of voting will be on April 26th.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
