Election Watch 2014
The Indian National Election
The Quick Guide
Election of 16th Indian Parliament
The biggest election in the world
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Registered voters: 815 million
New voters since the last election: 100 million
Polling stations: 830,000
Electronic voting machines: 1.2 million
Poll personnel (including security): 11 million
Political parties: 6 national parties, 54 regional parties 1000+
unrecognised parties
Voters in the 18 to 19 year age group: 23 million
Transgender voters registered as “others”: 28,314
Number of electronic voting machines to be used: 1.8 million
Cap on election expenditure per candidate: 7 million rupees
(A$127,000)
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Background
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A federal republic
28 states, 7 union territories
Capital: New Delhi
Governed by a constitution (1950)
Sovereign, secular, democratic
Parliamentary system
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India’s Parliamentary System
Cabinet Ministers
(From Lok Sabha or
Rajya Sabha)
President » s
(Head of state)
Elects
Appoints 12
members
Rajya Sabha
(Upper house)
Appoints
Elects
Prime Minister
(Head of government)
Selects
Appoints 2
members
Lok Sabha
(Lower house)
Elect 238
members
State Assemblies
Elect 543 members
VOTERS
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How the national election works
• 543 constituencies in 35 states
or territories.
• 9 voting phases: 7 April - 12 May
o 7 April
o 9 April
o 10 April
o 12 April
o 17 April
o 24 April
o 30 April
o 7 May
o 12 May
• Result declared: 16 May
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Election result and forming government
Government Coalition
Opposition parties
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1,000+ Parties and Symbols
The Indian Electoral Commission still has “free” symbols available here.
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Congress - UPA
• Founded: 1885
• 2009 tally: 206 seats
• Single largest party in parliament leads the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
• Dominant party in post independence era.
• Controlled by the Nehru-Gandhi family.
• Political position: Centre-left
• Candidate for PM: Rahul Gandhi
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Rahul Gandhi
• Born: 1970
• Part of the Nehru-Gandhi
family. Father was PM Rajiv
Gandhi, mother Sonia Gandhi
President of Congress
• Studied abroad.
• Worked as management
consultant before starting a
Mumbai based technology
outsourcing firm.
• Elected to parliament 2004.
Vice President of Congress
2013
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BJP - NDA
• Founded: 1980
• 2009 Tally: 116 seats
• Second largest party and leader
of the opposition National
Democratic Alliance (NDA).
• Candidate for PM: Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi
• Key support base in north and
west India
• Political position: Hindu
Nationalist (centre-right)
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Narendra Modi
• Born: 1950
• First job as tea seller at a
railway station.
• Chief Minister Gujarat
2001 - 2014
• Hindu nationalist
• 2002 Gujarat violence
• Gujarat economic
success
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Aam Aadmi (“Common man party”)
• Founded: November 2012.
• Came out of the India Against
Corruption movement.
• Led a minority government in Delhi
in 2013.
• Political position: melting pot of left,
right and centre.
• Leader: Arvind Kejriwal
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Arvind Kejriwal
• Born 1968
• Worked as a civil servant.
• Anti-corruption activist
• Chief Minister of Delhi for 49
days 2013 – 2014
• Running in Veranasi, the
same constituency as
Narendra Modi
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Opinion polls
POLL
RESPONDENTS
UPA
(CONGRESS
LED)
NDA
(BJP LED)
India Today –
c voter
21,772
103 seats
212 seats
CNN-IBN Lokniti
18,591
107 seats
211 seats
ABP News-Nielsen
64,006
101 seats
226 seats
NDTV
200,000
129 seats
282 seats
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Electoral trends in India
• India has been governed by coalitions since 1989 (the
“post-Congress era”). At least two factors explain this
development:
1. The increasing authority of states in the Indian
federation.
2. The emergence of regional parties and the demise
of national parties.
• This has robbed Congress and BJP of much of their
support. It means brokering alliances is as important as
securing voter support.
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The top issues for voters
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Source: Survey for the Lok Foundation as reported in the Times of India, March 16, 2014
Other Issues
• Leadership: Narendra Modi versus Rahul Gandhi
• Modi as “super-CEO” or “divisive anti-Muslim figure”
• Anti-incumbency mood against Congress
• Am Aadmi (AAP) and anti-corruption sentiment
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Authors
Professor Amitabh Mattoo - Professor Mattoo is the Director of the Australia India Institute and a Professor
of International Relations at the University of Melbourne. He concurrently serves as Professor of
Disarmament Studies at the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament at New Delhi's
Jawaharlal Nehru University. Professor Mattoo has been a Member of the National Knowledge Commission, a
high-level advisory group to the Prime Minister of India and the National Security Council’s Advisory Board. He
was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu from 2002-2008.
Nicholas Reece - Nicholas is a Public Policy Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy at the University of
Melbourne. In this role he researches and lectures in public policy and political science. Nick has worked as
a senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to a former Australian Prime Minister and two Premiers in the State
of Victoria. Earlier in his career he worked as a lawyer and journalist.
Nirupama Subramanian – Nirupama is Associate Editor at The Hindu. In this role she is a writer on the
editorial board and co-ordinates news from the newspaper’s correspondents across the country. She has also
served as a foreign correspondent in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Before joining The Hindu, Ms Subramanian had
worked at the Times of India, Indian Express, Sunday Observer and India Today.
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