This general election aims to elect 543 out of 545 members of the Lok Sabha for the next 5-year term. According to the Election Commission of India, the general election took place in 7 phases, lasting more than 40 days, starting on April 19.
Organising elections is not easy because there are nearly 970 million voters eligible to vote, while India has a large area and many remote and difficult-to-reach locations, including Tashigang Town in Himachal Pradesh State, the polling station which is considered the highest in the world.
In calling for voters to go to the polls, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that every vote is valuable and every voice is important. About 15 million election staff and security forces were mobilised to ensure election work at more than one million polling stations across the country. Thanks to that, the past six election periods are considered to have gone smoothly. Phase 7 ends today (June 1), marking the completion of the general election.
This general election has the participation of many parties in India, but the ruling coalition is led by Prime Minister Modi's Indian People's Party (BJP) and the opposition coalition led by the Indian National Congress (INC) is the main competitor. The BJP aims to win 370 seats, while the INC hopes to control 328 seats in the new Lok Sabha.
Many surveys and experts predicted that the coalition led by the BJP will prevail over the INC coalition in the race to the House of Representatives. The impressive achievements in economic development, improving social welfare, and strengthening national position, that India achieved during the two terms of the Government led by Prime Minister Modi, are a favourable basis for voters to make a choice.
All parties are looking forward to June 4, when the vote counting will be conducted. Based on the officially announced results, whichever party or coalition wins a majority of votes, with at least 272 seats in the House of Representatives, will form the government for the next 5-year term.
Once established, the new government will inherit the achievements of the previous government, but will also face many challenges ahead. During Prime Minister Modi's two terms, the Indian economy has grown to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. The country's economy maintained rapid growth, estimated at 8% in the last fiscal year. However, the growth gap between cities and large rural areas still causes concern.
India's per capita income remained low among members of the world's leading developed and emerging economies (G20). Unemployment, especially among young people, has also led to serious consequences for the country’s economy and society. According to the Indian Economic Monitoring Centre, the unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in March to 8.1% in April. In addition, rising food prices have directly affected the lives of Indian people.
Alleviating the concerns of the majority of voters is the main content highlighted in the election commitments of the parties participating in the general election. There are differences in the solutions to the above problems, but from a policy perspective, the ruling coalition and the opposition coalition still have a consensus on several important issues for the world's most populous country. All political parties want to promote development and enhance India's international position in the coming time. This is also the common wish of the people of the South Asian country.
