By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held at least every five years or whenever parliament is dissolved by the president. The previous election, to the 15th Lok Sabha, was conducted in April–May 2009 and its term would naturally expire on 31 May 2014. The election will be organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and are normally held in multiple phases to better handle the large electoral base and security concerns. Since the last election, the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, and other similar moves by Baba Ramdev, have galvanised a young population into political participation. Since the last general election, the BJP has made inroads by winning Vidhan Sabha control of Goa and winning despite a tradition of anti-incumbency in Punjab. However, it lost control of Uttaranchal, Himachel Pradesh and its southern bastion of Karnataka. It also failed in its having its nominated candidate with the 2012 presidential election, particularly after such allies as the Shiv Sena failed to follow coalition lines. Similarly, the Telangana movement for a separate Telengana from Andhra Pradesh also continued with agitations, including the initial central government decision to grant statehood and then rescind it after counter-protests. The move was accompanied by calls for other separate areas including Vidharba and Gorkhaland. Andhra politics was further shaken following death of its chief minister, Y. S. R. Reddy. His son, Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, then broke from the INC and founded the YSR Congress taking several politicians with him.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 07:42:24 +0000
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