IFES Election Guide | Elections: Indian People's Assembly 2024 General

April 19, 2024 Held

Republic of India

Election for Lok Sabha / लोक सभा (Indian People's Assembly)

General Information

At Stake in this Election:

543 seats in the Indian Lok Sabha

Government Structure:

Chief of State: President Droupadi MURMU (since 25 July 2022)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014)
Assembly: bicameral Parliament (संसद) with a 245-seat Rajya Sabha (राज्य सभा) and a 545-seat Lok Sabha (लोक सभा)

Electoral System:

The President is indirectly elected by an electoral college—made up of members of Parliament and state legislators— to serve a 5-year term. There is no term limit.
The Prime Minister is elected by the majority party of the Lok Sabha after each legislative election.
In the Rajya Sabha, 233 members are indirectly elected by the state and territorial legislatures and 12 members are appointed by the president. All members serve 6-year terms. One-third of seats are up for election every 2 years.
In the Lok Sabha, 543 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies, and 2 members are appointed by the president. All members serve 5-year terms.

Last Election:

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won a majority with 303 seats followed by the INC (52 seats) and 7 other parties. Voter turnout was 67.4%.

Information for Voters:

Voter Guide (in English)

The Election Commission of India also offers four apps, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play: Saksham-ECI (for people with disabilities), Voter Helpline App (general voter information), Know Your Candidate App (candidate information by constituency), and the cVIGIL App (reporting platform for electoral crimes).

New/Unique in this Election:

On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court struck down portions of the Finance Act of 2017, a law that has allowed anonymous campaign donations via electoral bonds purchased from the State Bank of India. The Supreme Court has since ordered the State Bank to release data that will allow the Election Commission to publish a precise breakdown of donors, candidates, and donation amounts.

Key Deadlines:

Phase 1
- Election day: 19 April 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 27 March 2024, 28 March 2024 (Bihar only)
- States and Union Territories:
  - Andaman & Nicobar Islands*, Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep*, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry*, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
  - Parts of: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Phase 2
- Election day: 26 April 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 4 April 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Kerala
  - Parts of: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradhesh, West Bengal
Phase 3
- Election day: 7 May 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 19 April 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Dadra and Nagar Havil and Daman and Diu*, Goa*, Gujarat
  - Parts of: Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh
Phase 4
- Election day: 13 May 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 25 April 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
  - Parts of: Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Phase 5
- Election day: 20 May 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 3 May 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Ladakh
  - Parts of: Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Phase 6
- Election day: 25 May 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 6 May 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Haryana, Delhi*
  - Parts of: Bihar, Jharkand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Phase 7
- Election day: 1 June 2024
- Candidate registration deadline: 14 May 2024
- States and Union Territories:
  - Chandigarh*, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab
  - Parts of: Bihar, Jharkand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

* = Union territory; all other units are states

Main Parties in this Election:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Leader: Narendra MODI
- Seats won in last election: 303 out of 543
Indian National Congress (INC)
- Leader: Mallikarjun KHARGE
- Seats won in last election: 52 out of 543
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
- Leader: Thiru M.K. STALIN
- Seats won in last election: 23 out of 543
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
- Leader: Mamata BANERJEE
- Seats won in last election: 22 out of 543
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSR)
- Leader: Y.S. JAGAN
- Seats won in last election: 22 out of 543
Shiv Sena (SS)
- Leader: Eknath SHINDE
- Seats won in last election: 18 out of 543
Janata Dal (United)
- Leader: Nitish KUMAR
- Seats won in last election: 16 out of 543
Biju Janata Dal (BJD)
- Leader: Naveen PATNAIK
- Seats won in last election: 12 out of 543
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
- Leader: Sushri Bahan Kumari MAYAWATI
- Seats won in last election: 10 out of 543

Population and Registered Voters:

Population: 1,417,173,170 (2022)
Registered Voters: 969,700,000 (2024 est.)

Gender Data:

Female Population: 685,992,680 (2022)
CEDAW Status: Signed 30 July 1980, Ratified 9 July 1993
Gender Quota: There is no gender quota as of 2024. A gender quota reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha for women will come into effect following the next census and delimitation exercise, but this will occur after the Lok Sabha election of 2024.
Female Candidates in this election: Yes
Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 77 out of 523 (14.7%) in the Lok Sabha and 31 out of 238 (13%) in the Rajya Sabha
Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.644, Medium, Rank 134 (2022)
Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 43 (2023)