The 2024 Indian general election is scheduled to be held in 2024, where voters will elect members to the 18th Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Democratic Alliance coalition has claimed victory according to official results, though the final seat count is still being determined.
India conducted the most extensive elections ever recorded in April and May 2024. Over six weeks, about 950 million individuals had the opportunity to participate in the electoral process and decide the makeup of the upcoming administration and the future of the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Lok Sabha general elections in India (1951 to 2024)
The 1st ever Lok Sabha Elections took place in 1951.
| Election year | Lok Sabha | Total seats | Party | Party Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–52 | First | 489 | Indian National Congress | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 1957 | Second | 494 | Indian National Congress | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 1962 | Third | Indian National Congress | Jawaharlal Nehru (died in 1964) and Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964-1966) | |
| 1967 | Fourth | 520 | Indian National Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 1971 | Fifth | 518 | Indian National Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 1977 | Sixth | 542 | Janata Party | Morarji Desai |
| 1980 | Seventh | 529 | Indian National Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 1984 | Eighth | 541 | Indian National Congress | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 1989 | Ninth | 529 | Janata Dal | V. P. Singh |
| 1991 | Tenth | 534 | Indian National Congress | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 1996 | Eleventh | 543 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 1998 | Twelfth | Bharatiya Janata Party | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | |
| 1999 | Thirteenth | Bharatiya Janata Party | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | |
| 2004 | Fourteenth | Indian National Congress | Manmohan Singh | |
| 2009 | Fifteenth | Indian National Congress | Manmohan Singh | |
| 2014 | Sixteenth | Bharatiya Janata Party | Narendra Modi | |
| 2019 | Seventeenth | Bharatiya Janata Party | Narendra Modi | |
| 2024 | Eighteenth | Bharatiya Janata Party | Narendra Modi |
India Elections 2024: Key Facts
The Lok Sabha elections in India took place from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to select all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. The 18th Lok Sabha was formed on 4 June after the votes were tallied and the result was revealed.
The first phase of the elections began on April 19, 2024, with 66.14% of voters turning out. This increased slightly to 66.71% in the second phase on April 26, 2024. The third phase, which occurred on May 7, 2024, saw a turnout of 65.68%.
Interestingly, the fourth phase, held on May 13, 2024, had the highest voter turnout at 69.16%, indicating significant participation. The fifth phase, on May 20, 2024, saw a decrease in turnout to 62.2%. On May 25, 2024, the sixth phase had a turnout of 63.37%, while the final phase on June 1, 2024, recorded a turnout of 61.63%.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially announced on 7 June 2024 that 293 Members of Parliament had pledged their support to Droupadi Murmu, the President of India. This signified Modi's third tenure as the prime minister and his inaugural experience leading a coalition government, with the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar emerging as the two primary allies.
The Electorate
968 million individuals, accounting for 70 percent of the population of 1.4 billion, were eligible to participate in the voting process. A total of 642 million voters took part in the election, with 312 million of them being women. This is the greatest level of female voter participation ever recorded.
Adding to India's uniqueness, this election was the greatest in history, exceeding the previous election, and ran for 44 days, second only to the 1951–52 Indian general election. The legislative assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim were conducted concurrently with the general election, with the by-elections for 25 constituencies in 12 legislative legislatures.
The Contending Parties
The incumbent prime minister, Narendra Modi, sought a third straight term after his political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had secured a clear majority of at least 272 seats in the 2019 and 2014 elections. Their main opposition was the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition established in 2023 by the Indian National Congress (INC) and many regional parties. The election faced criticism from the BJP, led by Modi, for failing to take action against hate speeches, reports of defective electronic voting machines (EVMs), and the persecution of political opponents of the BJP.
Opinion Polls
Opinion polls conducted by prominent media organizations predicted a clear and significant win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Nevertheless, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) experienced a decline in its seat count, winning 240 seats compared to the 303 seats it had obtained in 2019.
To be electorally literate in India, one must be familiar with not just the politics of the country but also the influence of her geographical features, including Indian rivers, the historic mountains of the subcontinent, as well as the strategic Deccan Plateau.
As a result, the BJP no longer holds a majority in the Lok Sabha. However, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as a whole, managed to capture 293 seats out of the total 543 seats in the House. The INDIA alliance exceeded predictions by winning 234 seats, with the Congress party winning 99. This achievement grants the Congress party the official opposition status, a position they haven't had for a decade. In addition to the major political parties, seven independent candidates and 10 candidates from non-aligned parties were also successful in securing seats in the Lok Sabha.
Results of India Election 2024
| Region | Seats | NDA | I.N.D.I.A. | Others |
| North India | 151 | 83 | 72 | 6 |
| West India | 78 | 45 | 31 | 2 |
| Central India | 40 | 39 | 1 | 0 |
| East India | 118 | 72 | 45 | 1 |
| Northeast India | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 |
| South India | 131 | 49 | 77 | 5 |
| Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
Electoral System
The Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, declared the timetable for the elections on 16th March 2024. As per Article 83 of the Indian Constitution, it is mandatory to conduct Lok Sabha elections every five years. There are 543 Members of Parliament (MPs) who are chosen from individual constituencies using a voting system called first-past-the-post. The 104th amendment to the constitution eliminated the two seats that were formerly designated for the Anglo-Indian community.
Eligible voters in India must meet the following criteria:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Reside in the voting area of the constituency
- Be registered to vote (with their name included in the electoral registers)
- Hold a valid voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India or an equivalent authority.
Individuals who have been found guilty of electoral or other criminal charges, as well as incarcerated individuals, are prohibited from exercising their right to vote. Non-resident Indians are ineligible to participate in the electoral process in India. India does not offer postal or online absentee voting. Indian diaspora members must physically return to their home constituencies to vote.
The Use of EVMs
In March 2024, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a plea by the Congress party to discontinue the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and return to paper ballots and manual counting, the previous election method employed until the late 1990s. The party said that there were concerns about electoral fraud. Over 5.5 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used throughout more than one million polling locations, with a total of 15 million election workers and security officers responsible for overseeing the election process.
The Election Commission of India, for the first time, granted the privilege to voters with disabilities and individuals aged 85 and over to exercise their voting rights from the comfort of their own homes. In Telangana, the voting period in certain places was extended by an additional hour to accommodate voters who preferred a more convenient time.
BJP (NDA)-ruled States (with Current CMs)
| State | Chief Minister | Party |
| Andhra Pradesh | N. Chandrababu Naidu | TDP |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Pema Khandu | BJP |
| Assam | Himanta Biswa Sarma | BJP |
| Bihar | Nitish Kumar | JD(U) |
| Chhattisgarh | Vishnu Deo Sai | BJP |
| Goa | Pramod Sawant | BJP |
| Gujarat | Bhupendrabhai Patel | BJP |
| Haryana | Nayab Singh Saini | BJP |
| Madhya Pradesh | Mohan Yadav | BJP |
| Maharashtra | Eknath Shinde | Shiv Sena |
| Manipur | N. Biren Singh | BJP |
| Meghalaya | Conrad Sangma | NPP |
| Nagaland | Neiphiu Rio | NDPP |
| Odisha | Mohan Charan Majhi | BJP |
| Rajasthan | Bhajan Lal Sharma | BJP |
| Sikkim | Prem Singh Tamang | SKM |
| Tripura | Manik Saha | BJP |
| Uttar Pradesh | Yogi Adityanath | BJP |
| Uttarakhand | Pushkar Singh Dhami | BJP |
Congress (I.N.D.I.A.)-ruled States (with Current CMs)
| State | Chief Minister | Party |
| Himachal Pradesh | Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu | INC |
| Jharkhand | Champai Soren | JMM |
| Karnataka | Siddaramaiah | INC |
| Kerala | Pinarayi Vijayan | CPI(M) |
| Punjab | Bhagwant Mann | AAP |
| Tamil Nadu | M. K. Stalin | DMK |
| Telangana | Revanth Reddy | INC |
| West Bengal | Mamata Banerjee | AITC |
What's Next?
The BJP will strive to complete the tasks that have not been completed. The primary focal factors for the 3rd term of the BJP will revolve around cultural aspects. The focus on achieving consistent economic growth will be evident, with a strong emphasis on the Make-in-India initiative and the encouragement of start-ups to foster self-sufficiency. The government aims to foster job creation and stimulate growth in the private-sector manufacturing industry.
The BJP has pledged that India will achieve the status of the third-biggest economy by 2029. Infrastructure development will persist at a fast rate. The promotion of nationalist feelings and the cultivation of a willingness to establish positive connections with both regional and global powers would be encouraged. The foreign policy of multi-alignment would be enhanced, leading to more prospects to attract industrial and service sector investments in other states.
Investors anticipate an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) as a result of favorable economic and stability prospects. Furthermore, given the present geopolitical circumstances, companies who wish to relocate from China and seek other manufacturing centers are being enticed to consider India. In the 3rd term, new labor legislation will probably be implemented, along with other enhancements to infrastructure, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).
Investors are optimistic about the implementation of a unified GST rate, as opposed to the present system of five different GST rates. Investors are optimistic about the possibility of more privatization in sectors such as banking and other services, after the gradual privatization of public sector entities like Air India. Based on the data from the past three general elections in India, the Indian stock market has consistently had a positive return in the one year after the election results. Specifically, in 2004, the return was 16.1%, in 2009 it was 38.7%, and in 2014 it was 14.7%. Therefore, making this investment before to the election might provide a strategic advantage.
The term of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to conclude in June 2029. The subsequent Lok Sabha delimitation in India is scheduled to take place after the initial census is conducted in the year 2026. As to the 84th Amendment to the Constitution of India, the ongoing suspension of the process of dividing constituencies would persist until the outcome of the initial census conducted after 2026 is made public.
The implementation of women's reservations in the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take place after the delimitation process, which would be based on the census conducted in 2026. As per the 106th Amendment Act, one-third of the total seats in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and Delhi legislative assembly shall be specifically designated for women.
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