India starts voting in the world's largest election as Modi seeks historic third term
Voters in India started casting votes in the world's largest parliamentary election this morning, setting off a marathon poll battle as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a record-equaling third straight tenure in office.
In the first phase of the general elections, polling, which began at 7:00am (India time) and will end at 6:00pm, will be held for 102 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 21 states and union territories, making it the largest among all the seven phases to be held till June 1 before counting of votes is taken up on June 4.
Over 16.63 crore voters across 1.87 lakh polling stations are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase, including 8.4 crore male, 8.23 crore female and 11,371 third gender electors to decide the electoral fate of 1,625 candidates (males 1,491 and females 134), according to the Election Commission, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
The first phase is likely to see 35.67 lakh first-time voters and 3.51 crore voters in the age group 20-29 years.
Close to one billion voters are eligible to pick their representatives to 543 Lok Sabha seats the next six weeks.
To rule India, a party or a coalition of parties needs a simple majority of 272 seats under the first-past-the-post system. Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 303 seats in the last national elections in 2019, followed by 52 for main opposition Congress.
In the staggered general elections being conducted to ensure sufficient security at polling booths across the vast country, voters can make their choice by pressing a button on an electronic voting machine first used in India in 1982 and more widely since the early 2000s.
Votes will be counted on June 4 after polling is done on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
A total of 968 million voters are registered, out of which 497 million are men and 471 million are women. A higher percentage of women voters than men are likely to vote for the second time in a row.
If elected for a third successive term, Modi, who is contesting from Varanasi constituency, will equal the record of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.