Indian general election, 2014 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For general elections in India, see Elections in India. Indian general election, 2014 India 2009 ← members 7 April to 12 May 2014 members → 2019 543 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority Opinion polls Turnout 66.38% First party Second party Third party Narendra D Modi.jpg Rahul Gandhi 1.jpg Jayalalithaa1.jpg Leader Narendra Modi Rahul Gandhi J. Jayalalithaa Party BJP INC AIADMK Alliance NDA UPA Leader since 10 June 2013 19 January 2013 1989 Leaders seat Vadodara (vacated) Varanasi Amethi Did not contest Last election 116 NDA: 159 206 UPA: 262 9 Seats won BJP: 282[1][2] NDA: 336 INC: 44[1] UPA: 60[2] 37[1] Seat change Increase166 Decrease162 Increase 28 Popular vote 171,459,286 106,760,001 18,115,825 Percentage 31.0%[1] NDA: 39% 19.3%[1] UPA: 21% 3.3%[1] Swing Increase13.77% Decrease17.82% Increase1.63% Indische Parlamentswahl 2014 Parteien.svg Results of the National and Regional parties by alliances. The 16th Lok Sabha Prime Minister before election Manmohan Singh UPA Prime Minister Narendra Modi NDA The Indian general election of 2014 was held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha, electing members of parliament for all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India. Running in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014, this was the longest election in the countrys history.[3][4] According to the Election Commission of India, 814.5 million people were eligible to vote, with an increase of 100 million voters since the last general election in 2009,[5] making this the largest-ever election in the world.[6] Around 23.1 million or 2.7% of the total eligible voters were aged 18–19 years.[7] A total of 8,251 candidates contested for the 543 Lok Sabha seats.[8] The average election turnout over all nine phases was around 66.38%, the highest ever in the history of Indian general elections.[8] The results were declared on 16 May, fifteen days before the 15th Lok Sabha completes its constitutional mandate on 31 May 2014.[9] The counting exercise was held at 989 counting centres.[8] The National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, won a sweeping victory, taking 336 seats. The BJP itself won 31.0% of all votes and 282 (51.9%) of all seats. It is the first time since the 1984 Indian general elections that a party has won enough seats to govern without the support of other parties.[10] The United Progressive Alliance, led by the Indian National Congress, won 58 seats,[2] 44 (8.1%) of which were won by the Congress, that won 19.3% of all votes.[1][11] It was the Congress partys worst defeat in a general election.[12][13] BJP and its allies won the right to form the largest majority government since the 1984 general election.[14] Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Organization 2.1 Spending limit 2.2 Accessibility 2.3 Election dates 3 Campaign 3.1 Issues 3.1.1 Economy 3.1.2 Corruption 3.1.3 Price rise 3.1.4 Telangana 3.2 Celebrity candidates 4 Parties and alliances 4.1 National Democratic Alliance 4.1.1 Bharatiya Janata Party 4.1.2 Others 4.2 United Progressive Alliance 4.2.1 Indian National Congress 4.2.2 Others 4.3 Left Front 4.4 Other parties 4.5 Third Front 5 Opinion polls 5.1 Exit polls 6 Controversies 7 Voting 7.1 Turnout 7.2 State/UT wise Voter Turnout Details 7.3 Re-polls 7.4 Voting pattern 8 Results 9 Reactions 9.1 Domestic 9.2 International 10 Government formation 11 References 12 External links Background[edit] By requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held at an interval of 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 have naturally expired on 31 May 2014. The election to the 16th Lok Sabha was organised and conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and was held in multiple phases, to better handle the large electoral base and security concerns. Since the last general election in 2009, the anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, and other similar moves by Baba Ramdev and Arvind Kejriwal(founder of Aam Aadmi Party ), gathered momentum and political interest.[15] Kejriwal went on to form a separate political party, Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012. The 2012 presidential election, resulted in Pranab Mukherjee of Indian National Congress becoming the President. The Telangana movement for a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh also continued with agitations, including the initial central government decision to grant statehood and then rescind it after counter-protests. Andhra politics was further shaken following the 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. The final session of parliament started on 6 February and ended on 21 February. Amongst the agenda in the final session was passing the The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013 in tackling corruption and the creation of Telangana.[16] Organization[edit] Election dates of Indian general election, 2014 Spending limit[edit] The Cabinet of India revised the limit of election expenditure by a candidate for Parliamentary Constituencies to INR7 million (US$110,000) in bigger states and to INR5.4 million (US$87,000) in smaller states and all union territories except Delhi.[17] This revision of the ceiling on election expenditure was attributed to the increase in the number of electors and polling stations as well as the increase in the cost inflation index. Accessibility[edit] Satendra Singh, a doctor with a disability,[18] showed the lack of preparedness by the Election Commission of India (ECI) towards electors with disabilities through the Right to Information Act.[19] The Chief Electoral Officer in Delhi, Vijay Dev then started a campaign on providing accessibility for the disabled, along with him. Singh conducted sensitisation workshops for election officers and helped in setting up a registration link for voters with disabilities to register to vote and provide their requirements.[20] Election dates[edit] The Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC), V. S. Sampath announced the polling schedule on 5 March. Voting was scheduled to be held in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May, and the results of the election was announced on 16 May.[21][22] Simultaneous elections were held for the Vidhan Sabhas of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.[23] Campaign[edit] Main article: Campaigning in the Indian general election, 2014 BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Meerut, during the campaign. Issues[edit] Important issues during the campaign included high inflation, lack of jobs, economic slow down, corruption, security and terrorism, religious division and communalism, and infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water.[24][25][26] In another survey by Zee News for about 14% of people, corruption is the main issue in the election.[27] Economy[edit] Bloomberg highlighted Indias slowing economy amidst a record high current account deficit and a falling rupee in summer 2013. It pointed out to a lack of infrastructure investment and a government increasingly likely to give subsidies that the national finances cannot afford just before the election. Other points it mentioned were stagnant policymaking and an inefficient bureaucracy.[28] The economy was the main issue in the campaign.[29] The lack of a clear mandate as a result of the election could lead to an increase in the price of gold in the country.[30][31] Modi also brought up the issue of farmer suicides that resulted from high debt and poor yield on their crops.[32] Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha criticised the incumbent Chidambaram in saying that he had a habit that he will get a strong economy, and he will ruin it before he leaves... Shri Chidambaram will be remembered in history as a spoiler, as someone who specialises in sub-five per cent growth rate, for his hubris, arrogance.[33] Corruption[edit] See also: List of scandals in India During the UPA 2, a number of scams came to public domain deteriorating the image of the government among the common man. These scams included coal scam, 2G scam and CWG scam. Price rise[edit] The price of onions, a staple in Indian cuisine, faced a dramatic increase.[34] In the lead up to the election, consumer price inflation increased more than expected while, paradoxically, industrial production fell by more than expected causing a dilemma amid slowing growth.[35] The price of salt was also indicative of general food inflation.[36] Telangana[edit] On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution for the creation of Telangana. Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) welcomed the decision.[37] YSR Congress party leader Jaganmohan Reddy however opposed the decision[38] and in agitation against it, all its MLAs resigned over the issue.[39] The BJP national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar suggested that the INCs move was under pressure and that BJP will watch till Telangana is formed.[40] In February, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned over the proposal to partition the region.[41] The conflicting views of the political parties thus made the Telangana issue a crucial one in the elections. Celebrity candidates[edit] Celebrity candidates from non-political spheres were nominated in the election. These included: Babul Supriyo (BJP), Innocent Vincent (LDF-IND), Nagma (actress) (INC), Bhaichung Bhutia (TMC), Bappi Lahiri (BJP), Biswajit Chatterjee (TMC), Dev (TMC), Gul Panag (AAP), Indranil Sen (TMC), Jaaved Jaaferi (AAP), Piyush Roshan (AAP), Kamaal Rashid Khan (SP), Kirron Kher (BJP), Mahesh Manjrekar (MNS), Mohammad Kaif (INC), Moon Moon Sen (TMC), Nandan Nilekani (INC), P. C. Sorcar, Jr. (BJP), Paresh Rawal (BJP), Prakash Jha (JD(U)), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (BJP), Rakhi Sawant (RAP), Ravi Kishan (INC), Hema Malini (BJP), Shatrughan Sinha (BJP), Vinod Khanna (BJP), Bhagwant Mann (AAP), Raj Babbar (INC), Manoj Tiwari (BJP), Jaya Prada (RLD), Vijay Kumar Singh (BJP) and Smriti Irani (BJP).[42][43][44][45] Parties and alliances[edit] National Democratic Alliance[edit] See also: List of National Democratic Alliance candidates in the Indian general election, 2014 The constituents of the National Democratic Alliance and the seats they contested are shown at the right in the table: The NDA garnered an overwhelming number of 343 seats in this election. This has propelled it to form the government in the country. [46][47][48][49][50] Party Seats Contesting Bharatiya Janata Party 427 Telugu Desam Party 30 Shiv Sena 20 Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam 14 Shiromani Akali Dal 10 Pattali Makkal Katchi 8 Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 7 Lok Janshakti Party 7 Rashtriya Lok Samata Party 3 Apna Dal 2 Haryana Janhit Congress 2 Swabhimani Paksha 2 Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi 1 Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi 1 All India N.R. Congress 1 Republican Party of India (Athvale) 1 Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1 Revolutionary Socialist Party (Bolshevik) 1 Kerala Congress (Nationalist) 1 National Peoples Party (India) 1 Naga Peoples Front 1 Mizo National Front 1 National Democratic Alliance 542 Bharatiya Janata Party[edit] Organisation Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was chosen to lead the Bharatiya Janata Partys campaign after a party conclave in Goa.[51][52] This came amid controversy as Lal Krishna Advani opposed the decision and resigned from his party posts, only to later rescind his resignation.[53] Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj were part of the team for the campaign. Rajnath Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were the mentors for the BJPs campaign.[54] A 12-member committee, led by Modi, was appointed at the Goa conclave which included M. Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.[55] Key Leaders Constituencies Modi contested the election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh[56] and Vadodara in Gujarat.[57] In Varanasi, the sizeable Muslim minority population was viewed by the media as an important voter target and the BJPs minority cell leader Salim Mohommad took part in campaigning.[58] Advani wanted to contest from Bhopal but later agreed to contest again from his incumbent seat Gandhinagar.[59] He also rejected a proposal to be appointed to the Rajya Sabha in favour of running in the election.[60] Advani was given the Gandhinagar seat because Modi wanted him to contest from Gujarat, according to Rajnath Singh.[61] Arun Jaitley contested for the Lok Sabha for the first time (having previously been a Rajya Sabha member)[62] from Amritsar against former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.[63] The move was controversial as incumbent MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu was unhappy in not being allocated the constituency. Yet he said that as Jaitley was his guru he would accept the decision, but would not run from any other constituency. The reason for not allocating the ticket to Sidhu was said to be because of his spat with the Shiromani Akali Dal Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and party President Sukhbir Singh Badal, as well as other BJP personnel.[64] Jaswant Singh was denied nomination from Barmer constituency so he decided instead to contest the seat as an independent.[65] BJP candidate S. Gurumurthys nomination was rejected from Niligiris for failing to submit mandatory forms.[66][67][68][69][70][71] Campaign and Issues Main article: Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for Indian general election, 2014 Modi (fifth from the left) and other BJP leaders after the partys National Executive Meet. Modi was named the chairman of Central Election Campaign Committee during this meet. The BJP released its manifesto on 7 April 2014. The party promised to set up a Price Stabilization Fund and to evolve a single National Agriculture Market to check price rise and go for e-Governance, policy-driven governance and simplification of the tax regime to prevent corruption. It wanted to encourage labour-intensive manufacturing, focus on traditional employment bases of agriculture, the upgrade of infrastructure and housing and self-employment opportunities for job creation. Harnessing satellite technology; setting up National Optical-Fibre Network up to the village level; Diamond Quadrilateral project – of High Speed Train network were among several other things that the party promised.[72] The Himachal Pradesh BJP attacked the UPAs one rank, one pension scheme as an election stunt, according to the convenor of the BJPs ex-servicemen cell, Brigadier (Retired) Lal Chand Jaswal. The move followed the BJP raising the issue in the previous years and Modis announcement at an ex-servicemens rally at Rewari on 15 September 2013 and at Sujanpur on 17 February.[73] Modi also criticised the INC and Rahul Gandhi for giving a ticket to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan despite his indictment in the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai.[74] He further criticised Gandhis comments about his governance of Gujarat at rally in Bijapur.[75] At a rally in Gurgaon, Haryana, part of the wider National Capital Region, Modi said: People gave ruling Congress 60 years, I just need 60 months to prove that the BJP is the best option for India and alleged that the INC was protecting Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, after he was said to have sold farmers land and made money. Robert Vadras empty bank account was credited with $8.30m (Rs 500 million) in just three months. BJP want answers.[76] He also criticised the INCs Nandan Nilekani as he had squandered crores of rupees in giving a unique identity (Aadhaar) to millions of people, which even the Supreme Court questioned, as it did not address the security concerns.[77] Amongst the social media, individuals came up with satirical takes on sports, movies (in Hindi and English) and songs, amongst other things, in support of the BJP campaign slogan that were premised on Aab ki baar, Modi sarkar ([This time, [we will have a] Modi government]).[78] Modi was noted for focusing, in his rallies across the country, on the 23 million first-time come-of-age voters.[79] By the last day of campaigning on 10 May, Narendra Modi had undertaken the largest mass outreach in Indias electoral history by travelling about 300,000 km for 437 public meetings in 25 states and 1350 innovative 3D rallies according to the BJP.[80] In regards to foreign relations of India, Modi in a rally in Arunachal Pradesh, a state which borders China with a history of border disputes, swore to protect the country[81] and criticised Chinese expansionism.[82] He also highlighted the importance of diplomats discussing issues like trade facilitation and promoting Indian business abroad.[83] Others[edit] Lok Janshakti Party Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan announced on 30 January that the LJP, RJD and INC will jointly contest the election from Bihars constituencies.[84] He later announced on 27 February that he will instead join the NDA. LJP contested polls with the BJP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) on 40 seats with 30 seats for BJP, three seats for RLSP and seven seats for LJP. LJP and RLSp won all the seats allotted to them with BJP winning 22 seats. The election was seen by many BJP leaders as a show of strength after fallout with JD (U). After the election results, Nitish Kumar was forced to resign from the post of Chief Minister after being marginalized to just 2 seats.[85] Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), led by Tamil film actor Vijayakanth joined the NDA on 26 February.[86] Lok Satta Party On 10 April, while campaigning in Telangana, Jayaprakash Narayan of the Lok Satta Party stated that while his party had a few differences of opinion with the BJP manifesto, they had decided to support the NDA in the national interest.[87] On the other hand, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan contested from the Malkajgiri. Malkajgiri had 2,953,915 eligible voters in the election making it the largest parliamentary constituency of the country in terms of number of voters.[88] Shiv Sena, Swabhimani Paksha and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha The Swabhimani Paksha (SWP) a political party of Swabhimani Shetkari Saghtana (SSS) joined the Shiv Sena-BJP-Republican Party of India (Athvale) alliance in February. The SSS, which represents the interests of farmers in western Maharashtra was offered two seats – Madha in Solapur, where NCP leader Sharad Pawar sits, and Hathkanangale, the seat of SSS leader Raju Shetti. Shetti also sought Baramati but this was rejected by the Shiv Sena and BJP, who decided to leave a seat each from their quotas of 22 and 26 to accommodate SSS.[89] Rashtriya Samaj Paksha also joined the alliance in January.[90] In addition to the aforementioned four parties that were contesting from Maharashtra, RSP was also in the alliance.[91] Shiromani Akali Dal Shiromani Akali Dal contested 10 out of 13 seats in Punjab, India. Telugu Desam Party Due to the BJPs support of the Telangana Bill which gave statehood to Telangana, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was reluctant to ally itself with former NDA ally, the BJP. In like measure, the BJP was cautious of being affiliated with the TDP and its leader Chandrababu Naidu as they could be perceived as being anti-Telangana. However the two parties were keen to form an alliance for a number of reasons including the TDPs strong presence in Other Backward Class (OBC) and Telangana villages, the possibility of the two having an alliance with the Telangana Rasthra Samiti to form a post-election regional government in Telangana (if the TRS did not get a clear majority), avoid vote splitting between the parties and the BJP feeling that there will be a leadership vacuum in TDP in Telangana which they could consolidate by the 2019 elections.[92] TDP and BJP announced their alliance on 6 April for the general election and legislative assembly elections in Telangana and Seemandhra. Chandrababu Naidu declared that BJP will contest in 5 of the 25 seats in Seemandhra and 8 out of 17 seats in Telangana.[93][94] United Progressive Alliance[edit] Further information: List of United Progressive Alliance candidates in the Indian general election, 2014 The constituents of the United Progressive Alliance and the seats they contested are shown at the right in the table: This election turned out to be a nightmare for the UPA as they garnered the lowest number of seats in their history. Party Seats Contesting Indian National Congress[95] 462 Rashtriya Janata Dal[96][97] 28 Nationalist Congress Party[98][99] 23 Rashtriya Lok Dal[100] 8 Jharkhand Mukti Morcha[101][102] 4 Jammu & Kashmir National Conference[103] 3 Mahan Dal[100] 3 Indian Union Muslim League[104] 2 Socialist Janata[104] 1 Kerala Congress[104] 1 Revolutionary Socialist Party[104] 1 Bodoland Peoples Front[105] 1 United Progressive Alliance 537 In March, the INC, RJD and NCP announced that they would jointly contest in Bihar.[106] The INC contested 12 seats, NCP fought on 1 seat and the RJD, being a regional party, would seek the rest of 27 seats. Indian National Congress[edit] The Indian National Congress had announced, on the fourth anniversary of the second United Progressive Alliance government, that its campaign for the election would be led by incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, INC chairperson Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi.[107] Rahul Gandhi was appointed to head a six-member committee to formulate and implement alliances, the party manifesto and general publicity for the election.[108] In response to sagging opinion poll numbers for the general election, the INC sought to fast-track a decision on separating Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, create a coalition government with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Jharkhand, sought to take credit for the Food Security Bill and passing Land Acquisition Bill.[109] Prime Minister Candidate Incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he would not return to his role should the INC get a majority or plurality.[110] Rahul Gandhi told Dainik Bhaskar that he was ready to take charge of any responsibility the party gave him and he added that: My focus for India is a long term vision, where all Indians are treated with equality, respect and are given equal opportunities.[111] At the party meeting it was decided not to name a prime ministerial candidate amid fears it would turn the election into a presidential one. This was criticised by the BJP. Gandhi would instead lead the partys campaign.[112] He also called the election a turning point.[113] Sonia Gandhi then said that the party will face upcoming challenges and the election with a lot of determination; she added that the election would be a battle for India. Divisive forces are stretching social fabric to breaking point. Oppositions way is to spread disharmony. Theres a face hidden behind the mask of compassion.[114] Rahul Gandhi In January, in an interview with Arnab Goswami, Gandhi admitted that some Congress members may have been involved in the 1984 riots and further stated that Modis government was responsible for pushing the 2002 riots while the Congress government in 1984 tried to stop the anti Sikh riots.[115] Fellow UPA member, Praful Patel said that the 2002 matter should be put to rest.[116] As Gandhi was reported to have sought an early declaration of the partys candidates, the INC was scheduled to hold its first meeting of the central election committee on 13 February to finalise all their candidates by the end of the month. Similarly, the screening committees for several unnamed part of the country had already occurred so as to shortlist the candidates.[117] On 8 March, its list of 194 candidates was announced, including 35% of candidates that were below the age of 50 years.[118] The INC was reported to be concerned by the possibility of a reduced mandate in Gandhis seat of Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency) amidst an unusual challenge by his high-profile competitor, the BJPs Smriti Irani. It even led to his mother, Sonia, campaigning there for the first time in 10 years.[119] Muslim candidates The least number of candidates won in 16th lok sabha election after 1952. Total number of Muslim MPs are 24, out of which 8 are from WB, 4 are from Bihar, 4 are from Jammu and Kasmir, 3 from Kerela, 2 from Assam and 1 from each of AP, Tamil Nadu and Lakshdeep. In 15th Lok Sabha, it was 30. At present there are no Muslim representatives from UP and Maharastra having a remarkable number of Muslim citizenry. Opinion Polls The INC dismissed the opinion polls pointing to a NDA plurality as misleading and partisan.[120] In its manifesto the party promised inclusive growth and that it would initiate a raft of welfare schemes, including a right to healthcare for all and pensions for the aged and disabled.[121] Manmohan Singh, Sonia and Rahul Gandhis INC campaigning included scheduled stops in Odisha[122] and, on 20 April, in Maharashtra prior to the third phase.[123] Rahul Gandhi told a rally in Chhattisgarh that Modi would divide the nation into pieces, and make people fight against each other.[124] Media During the election, former prime ministerial aide Sanjaya Baru published The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh in which he criticised Singh as not being fully in charge of his government in having to compete with the dynastic INC leader, Sonia Gandhi, for influence within his own cabinet. He reveals that every file to PM was first shown to sonia gandhi before it was being put up for Singhs approval. Singhs office retorted in saying it is smacks of fiction and coloured views of a former adviser.[125] After Baru said it is no secret that Sonia Gandhi was the super prime minister, Priyanka Vadra replied I think Manmohan Singh ji is the super PM.[126] Others[edit] National Conference Minister for New and Renewable Energy and National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah, controversially, told a rally in Srinagar that in regards to Modi becoming prime minister if it happens then Kashmir will not remain a part of India. I say it publicly. Kashmiris will not accept a communal person. He added before going to a scheduled rally in Magam that those who vote for Modi should drown themselves in sea.[127] Nationalist Congress Party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was in alliance with the INC in the states of Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.[97][128][129] Rashtriya Janata Dal Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav said of the BJPs ruling chances that Modi and Advani can never become the prime minister in their lifetime. Secular forces in this country would never allow the saffron outfit to come to power. In relation to the INCs Rahul Gandhi he said that Gandhi wants to bring change to the country; he added in relation to Digvijay Singh that he was a good man.[130] Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) contested polls in alliance with INC and RJD in Jharkhand.[131] JMM and INC contested in four and ten seats each, respectively. JMM leader Shibu Soren will run from Dumka, while the other three partys seats could come from Rajmahal, Giridih and the purpose-built city of Jamshedpur.[132] Left Front[edit] Further information: List of Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidates in the Indian general election, 2014 and List of Left Front candidates in the Indian general election, 2014 Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (Marxist) declared their campaign slogan as Reject Congress, Defeat BJP.[133] On 3 April, the party published its fourth list of candidates for a total of 94 candidates.[134] In West Bengal, CPI (M) contested as part of the Left Front. 32 out of the 42 Left Front candidates in West Bengal came from the CPI (M), while 20 of its candidates were running for the first time.[135] In Kerala, the CPI (M) contested as a constituent of the Left Democratic Front. In the list of the 15 CPI (M) candidates in Kerala released in mid-March, four were incumbent Lok Sabha members and five others were independents.[clarification needed][136][137] The Kollam seat was allocated to M.A. Baby after the RSP left the LDF and joined the United Democratic Front.[138] In Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, the CPI (M) made an electoral pact with the CPI and other left parties.[which?][139][140][141][142][143][144][145] In Andhra Pradesh, however, no agreement could be reached between the CPI (M) and the CPI due to differences on the Telangana issue; CPI (M) opposed bifurcation, while the CPI supported creating Telangana.[146] In Telangana region, CPI contested one seat (in alliance with Indian National Congress[147]), while CPI (M) contested two seats. Other parties[edit] Aam Aadmi Party The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), formed in 2012, contested 432 seats and won 4 seats.[148] The partys manifesto focused on anti-corruption measures.[149] Earlier in 2013, the party had made an impressive electoral debut by winning the second highest number of seats in the Delhi Legisltive Assembly elections. After forming a short-lived minority government in Delhi, AAP was seen as a major challenger to the other political parties.[150] However, the party lost deposits on 413 seats,[148] surpassing the record of Doordarshi Party, which had lost deposit on 321 seats in 1991.[151] AAPs leader Arvind Kejriwal unsuccessfully contested against the BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi.[152] Its spokesperson Prashant Bhushan argued that AAPs national debut performance was better than that of the winning party BJP in its first national elections in 1984.[153] All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) opted not to join any alliance and contested all seats in Tamil Nadu on its own.[154] Party leader Jayalalithaa told a rally in March that she would modernise the armed forces by enhancing their capabilities so that they were on par with the superpowers. In saying so she criticised the UPAs governance including its economic, diplomatic and defence policies, adding that modernisation of the armed forces was hindered by steady curtailing of its funding.[155] AIADMK managed to win 37 out of a total of 39 parliamentary constituencies in the state of Tamil Nadu. All India Forward Bloc Further information: List of All India Forward Bloc candidates in the Indian general election, 2014 On 21 March, the All India Forward Bloc released its first list of candidates that covered 38 seats in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi. According to the partys Secretary Debabrata Biswas the main objective of the party was to strengthen and unite the Left, democratic and secular forces to achieve an alternative policy for reconstruction of the country.[156][157] In West Bengal the party will contest the election as part of the Left Front.[135] To defend the two West Bengal seats that it won in 2009, the party decided to field incumbent MP Narahari Mahato in the Purulia seat and a new candidate in the Cooch Behar seat.[156] Bahujan Samaj Party On 19 March, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati declared that the party would contest the election on its own and fielded candidates in all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Mayawati was confident that the BSP would seek a mandate to form a government with support of secular parties.[158] Though the party was able to secure third highest vote share but it didnt managed to win even a single seat in Uttar Pradesh and the country. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation At a press conference held on 10 March, General Secretary of the party Dipankar Bhattacharya said his party would field 85 candidates in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jharkhand and Puducherry.[159] Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) opted not to join an UPA pre-poll alliance and contested all seats in Tamil Nadu with its own regional alliance. Party leader Karunanidhi announced Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) with local parties like VCK, MMK, IUML and Puthiya Tamizhagam. DMK was not able to secure even a single seat throughout the country. Janata Dal (United) The media speculated that Modi still had a chance of gaining in Bihar at the expense of Nitish Kumars Janata Dal. Whilst the BJP were in coalition with JD(U), Modi was not allowed to speak at rallies in the party by mutual understanding and was only allowed for special events such as a funeral or party conclave, even Modis flood relief aid to Bihar was termed communal. Bihar was seen as test case for Modis popularity if the BJP could increase its tally at the expense of the JD(U). There was also speculation that Lalu Prasad Yadav could make a relative comeback after the 2010 provincial election if he is not convicted over the fodder scam. It also suggested that this would be an eager race as it could determine if Kumars decision to leave the NDA in June 2013 was prudent and if he has any national political scope left; while for Modi it would give crucial seats to the BJP and be able to attract potential allies as Bihar is largely based on caste politics.[160][161] In January 2014, Kumar referred to Gandhis stand against corruption as a farce after hearing of a meeting between Gandhi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav despite Yadav being out on bail, after being convicted in the fodder scam. He termed their alliance as natural and stated that them coming together was no surprise.[162] Maharashtra Navnirman Sena The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced its first list of seven candidates. Six of them contested against candidates of Shiv Sena. The party, however, also supported Modis prime ministerial candidature. The move read as an implicit acceptance of the BJPs Nijin Gadkaris call not to contest against the NDA and to support its own candidates.[163] Nav Bharat Democratic Party Nav Bharat Democratic stepped into the political arena with 9 candidates spread across Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The party was established by RK Misra.[164] Samajwadi Party Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav claimed that the Third Front government will be formed in the center with the help of his party.[165] To counter the Modi-effect on other constituencies near Varanasi, Yadav decided to contest from Azamgarh and Mainpuri.[166] The party decided not to field any candidates against the INCs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from Rai Bariely and Amethi, respectively, in response to the INCs decision not to field any candidates against Mulayam Singh Yadav and Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri and Kannauj, respectively.[167] Sikkim Democratic Front On 10 March, the Sikkim Democratic Front declared that its incumbent MP, Prem Das Rai, would run for re-election. The party also released a list of 32 candidates for the Sikkim Legislative Assembly election, 2014 that will be held simultaneously with the election.[168] Trinamool Congress All-India Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee declared that the party would contest all 42 seats in West Bengal by itself, making this the first occurrence of the party contesting a general election in West Bengal without an alliance with either of the two largest parties, BJP and INC.[169] Banerjee told a rally in Cooch Behar district, near the international border with Bangladesh, that she would take up the issue of the border enclaves upon ascertaining the views of the local people living in the adversely possessed areas. She further noted that she had opposed the central governments agreement in 2011 over the Teesta treaty of water-sharing between the two countries on the grounds of receding waters affecting drinking water availability.[170] YSR Congress Party Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddys YSR Congress Party fielded candidates across Seemandhra and some districts of Telangana.[171] The party fielded several bureaucrats, businessmen and relatives of politicians for Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra, including D. Kishore Rao, the former secretary of the Gujarat Human Rights Commission.[172] In a statement in March, Reddy stated that he would ally himself with whoever would win the election.[171] Third Front[edit] Fourteen political parties including the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc,[173] AIADMK, Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Janata Dal, Naga Peoples Front, Sikkim Democratic Front, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh participated in a convention of the parties not in alliance with the NDA nor UPA, which was held on 30 October 2013.[174] On 5 February 11 parties announced that they would work as one bloc on a common agenda in parliament. These included the CPI(M), CPI, RSP, AIFB, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), AIADMK, AGP, JVM, JD(S) and BJD.[175] However, there was speculation that the AGP and BJD were still in preparatory talks to re-join the NDA.[176] A consensus on a prime ministerial candidate, however, was not achieved.[177] Though CPI (M) has sought to build what it terms a secular and democratic alternative to the INC and BJP, general secretary Prakash Karat discarded the notion that these moves would result in a Third Front electoral alliance.[178] He also suggested a possible Third Front would only emerge after the election.[179] Opinion polls[edit] Main article: Opinion polling for the Indian general election, 2014 Opinion polls generally showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to be the front runner in the election with the emergence of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) as the single largest party. Conducted in Month(s) Source Polling Organisation NDA UPA Other Jan 2014 [180] CNN-IBN-Lokniti-CSDS 211 – 231 107–127 205 Feb 2014 [181] ABP News-Nielsen 236 92 215 March 2014 [182] NDTV- Hansa Research 230 128 185 April 2014 [183] NDTV- Hansa Research 275 111 157 Exit polls[edit] The Election Commission of India banned the publication of all exit polls starting 48 hours before Phase 1 of the election until the end of Phase 9. This was intended to prevent exit polls from earlier phases affecting voter decisions in later phases. The ban ended after the close of Phase 9 voting at 6:30pm IST on 12 May 2014.[184] Publish Date Source Polling Organisation NDA UPA Other 12 May 2014 [185] CNN-IBN – CSDS – Lokniti 276 (±6) 97 (±5) 148 (±23) [185][186] India Today – Cicero 272 (±11) 115 (±5) 156 (±6) [185][187] News 24 – Chanakya 340 (±14) 70 (±9) 133 (±11) [185] Times Now – ORG 249 148 146 [185][188] ABP News – Nielsen 274 97 165 [185] India TV – CVoter 289 101 148 14 May 2014 [189][190] NDTV – Hansa Research 279 103 161 12 May 2014 [185] Poll of Polls 283 105 149 16 May 2014 Actual Results[2] 336 58 149 Controversies[edit] Further information: Campaigning in the Indian general election, 2014 § Controversies During the course of the campaign, several controversies arose with parties being accused by one another and the Election Commission of India of violating Election Commission of Indias Model Code of Conduct that is in force during the election. In the run-up to the election the media in India was criticised for its establishment ties between family owners and political parties. It caused self-censorship and editorial dismissals at certain media outlets, such as The Hindu for its ties to the INC.[191] India Today temporarily suspended its CVoter opinion poll in late February after a News Express sting operation suggesting Polling Agencies like Ipsos and CVoter fudged the numbers to show BJP candidate Narendra Modi in the lead. However the allegations were found politically motivated as the final results of Elections vindicated the findings of all Pre-poll surveys and also the Exit polls. The 2014 elections confirmed the accuracy of Polling companies in India after a gap of two general elections.[192] Voting[edit] According to the Election Commission of India, 814.5 million people were eligible to vote, with an increase of 100 million voters since the last general election in 2009,[5] making this the largest-ever election in the world.[6] Around 23.1 million or 2.7% of the total eligible voters were aged 18–19 years.[7] In total there were 1.4 million electronic voting machines in 930,000 voting centres. The Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system which enables EVM to record each vote cast by generating the EVM slip, was introduced in 8 constituencies of Lucknow, Gandhinagar, Bangalore South, Chennai Central, Jadavpur, Raipur, Patna Sahib and Mizoram as a pilot project.[193][194][195][196][197][198][199][200] Also, Braille ballot sheets for the blind were arranged at polling stations. The scale of the election required 1.1 million of civil servants and 5.5 million civilian employees to handle the election. It was the first election that had the none of the above option and allowed Non-Resident Indians to vote; though only in India.[124] Security was increased during the election, particularly as the Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI (Maoist)) called for a boycott of the election.[201] On 12 April, even though there was no voting this day, a vehicle in Chhattisgarh hit a CPI (Maoist) landmine resulting in the deaths of two bus drivers and five election officials, with four more injured, while travelling from Kutru to Bijapur in preparation for the fifth phase of voting. On the same day, within an hour, they also ambushed a vehicle resulting in the deaths of five paramilitary soldiers in the Darbha forest.[202] The election was the longest and the most expensive general election in the history of the country, with the Election Commission of India estimating that the election did cost the exchequer INR3500 crore (US$577 million), excluding the expenses incurred for security and by the individual political parties.[203] Parties were expected to spend INR30,500 crore (US$5 billion) in the election, according to the Centre for Media Studies. This was three times the amount spent in the previous election in 2009, and was then the worlds second highest after the US$7 billion spent on the 2012 US presidential election.[204] The election reportedly boosted the hospitality sector as, according to ASSOCHAM, tourist arrivals from the countries such as the US, UK, France, Singapore and the U.A.E. have gone up by 10–15, while the movement of domestic tourists jumped by 62%.[205] Turnout[edit] State/UT wise Voter Turnout Details[edit] Based on data from Election Commission India[206] State/UT Male Electors Male Voters Male Turnout Female Electors Female Voters Female Turnout Total Electors Total Voters Total Turnout Total Seats Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT) 142,782 101,178 70.86% 126,578 89,150 70.43% 269,360 190,328 70.66% 1 Andhra Pradesh 32,670,930 24,352,913 74.54% 32,267,820 24,005,632 74.39% 64,938,750 48,358,545 74.47% 42 Arunachal Pradesh 379,627 289,291 76.2% 379,760 307,665 81.02% 759,387 596,956 78.61% 2 Assam 9,787,209 7,876,763 80.48% 9,098,065 7,209,120 79.24% 18,885,274 15,085,883 79.88% 14 Bihar 34,092,938 18,779,230 55.08% 29,668,858 17,106,136 57.66% 63,761,796 35,885,366 56.28% 40 Chandigarh (UT) 333,621 244,956 73.42% 281,593 208,499 74.04% 615,214 453,455 73.71% 1 Chhattisgarh 8,915,783 6,320,693 70.89% 8,707,266 5,934,886 68.16% 17,623,049 12,255,579 69.54% 11 Dadra & Nagar Haveli (UT) 106,215 87,800 82.66% 90,402 77,486 85.71% 196,617 165,286 84.06% 1 Daman & Diu (UT) 57,011 42,378 74.33% 54,816 44,855 81.83% 111,827 87,233 78.01% 1 Goa 528,308 395,766 74.91% 532,469 421,234 79.11% 1,060,777 817,000 77.02% 2 Gujarat 21,229,092 14,259,115 67.17% 19,374,012 11,564,888 59.69% 40,603,104 25,824,003 63.6% 26 Haryana 8,716,612 6,351,584 72.87% 7,381,137 5,143,566 69.69% 16,097,749 11,495,150 71.41% 10 Himachal Pradesh 2,474,430 1,569,632 63.43% 2,335,641 1,528,869 65.46% 4,810,071 3,098,501 64.42% 4 Jammu & Kashmir 3,802,021 1,927,584 50.7% 3,400,142 1,639,279 48.21% 7,202,163 3,566,863 49.52% 6 Jharkhand 10,685,149 6,860,476 64.21% 9,641,594 6,122,464 63.5% 20,326,743 12,982,940 63.87% 14 Karnataka 23,586,223 16,165,832 68.54% 22,625,886 14,873,056 65.73% 46,212,109 31,038,888 67.17% 28 Kerala 11,734,258 8,678,185 73.96% 12,592,391 9,297,708 73.84% 24,326,649 17,975,893 73.89% 20 Lakshadweep (UT) 25,433 21,585 84.87% 24,489 21,654 88.42% 49,922 43,239 86.61% 1 Madhya Pradesh 25,309,830 16,734,556 66.12% 22,808,210 12,905,240 56.58% 48,118,040 29,639,796 61.6% 29 Maharasthra 42,743,156 26,714,578 62.5% 37,974,127 22,004,266 57.95% 80,717,283 48,718,844 60.36% 48 Manipur 871,431 685,427 78.66% 902,894 727,210 80.54% 1,774,325 1,412,637 79.62% 2 Meghalaya 777,639 524,774 67.48% 789,602 553,284 70.07% 1,567,241 1,078,058 68.79% 2 Mizoram 346,219 216,167 62.44% 355,951 217,034 60.97% 702,170 433,201 61.69% 1 Nagaland 600,490 529,325 88.15% 582,458 509,585 87.49% 1,182,948 1,038,910 87.82% 1 NCT OF Delhi 7,051,098 4,653,522 66.00% 5,660,138 3,618,244 63.93% 12,711,236 8,271,766 65.07% 7 Orissa 15,194,309 11,032,523 72.61% 14,001,732 10,499,752 74.99% 29,196,041 21,532,275 73.75% 21 Puducherry (UT) 432,048 351,360 81.32% 469,309 388,657 82.81% 901,357 740,017 82.1% 1 Punjab 10,327,116 7,262,625 70.33% 9,280,892 6,582,507 70.93% 19,608,008 13,845,132 70.61% 13 Rajasthan 22,638,323 14,627,976 64.62% 20,331,124 12,482,068 61.39% 42,969,447 27,110,044 63.09% 25 Sikkim 190,886 158,222 82.89% 179,725 150,745 83.88% 370,611 308,967 83.37% 1 Tamil Nadu 27,571,785 20,249,949 73.44% 27,542,720 20,370,491 73.96% 55,114,505 40,620,440 73.70% 39 Tripura 1,217,575 1,035,722 85.06% 1,171,244 988,137 84.37% 2,388,819 2,023,859 84.72% 2 Uttar Pradesh 76,071,444 44,979,619 59.13% 62,894,376 36,112,683 57.42% 138,965,820 81,092,302 58.35% 80 Uttarakhand 3,751,098 2,268,767 60.48% 3,378,841 2,123,123 62.84% 7,129,939 4,391,890 61.6% 5 West Bengal 32,689,449 26,886,706 82.25% 30,143,679 24,735,849 82.06% 62,833,128 51,622,555 82.16% 42 India 437,051,538 293,236,779 67.09% 397,049,941 260,565,022 65.63% 834,101,479 553,801,801 66.40% 543 Phase 1: 7 April Turnout was 75% in Assam and 84% in Tripura.[207] Assams INC Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that there is no Narendra Modi magic in Assam. The Congress has been winning every form of elections since 2001 in Assam, and we are going to repeat the performance this time. Additionally, the borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan were closed for security reasons.[208] Phase 2: 9 and 11 April The turnouts were recorded at 82.5% in Nagaland, 71% in Arunachal Pradesh, 66% in Meghalaya and 70% in Manipur.[209][210] Mizorams voting was deferred to 11 April,[211] where the turnout was 60%.[212] Phase 3: 10 April About 110 million of people were eligible to vote for 91 seats. The turnout was 76% in Kerala, 64% in Delhi, 55.98% in Madhya Pradesh, 54.13% in Maharashtra, 65% in Uttar Pradesh and 66.29% in Jammu.[201] Kerala and Chandigarh set new voter turnout records. A higher proportion of eligible electors voted in 2014 than in 2009.[213] Phase 4: 12 April Voter turnout set new records or were near record levels with 75% in Goa, 75% in Assam, 81.8% in Tripura and 80.97%[214] in Sikkim (including the Sikkim Legislative Assembly election, 2014).[215] West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nearly cancelled the polls in her region after initially refusing to changes to the appointments of civil service departments, but was forced to constitutionally do so.[216] Phase 5: 17 April The largest voting day involved nearly 200 million eligible voters,[217] 1,769 candidates for 121 seat. The voting turnout in Uttar Pradesh was 62%, West Bengal was 80%, over 70% in Odisha, 69% in Jammu and Kashmir, 54% in Madhya Pradesh and 62% in Jharkhand.[218] Manipur had 74%[217] and Maharashtra had a 61.7% turnout.[219] In Karnataka, the average voting was up on 65% against 58% in the previous election, though urban voters were lower.[220][221] In Chhattisgarh, the voter turnout was 63.44% compared to 57.6% in 2009, while Rajasthan recorded a 63.25% voter turnout, compared to 48.09% in 2009.[222] In Bihars seven constituencies, the turnout was 56%, compared to 39% in 2009.[223] In one of six constituencies from Jammu and Kashmir, Udhampur, the turnout of 70% was significantly higher than the 2009 figure of 45%.[224] Overall across India, the turnout on the day was over 65%[217] and nearly all constituencies had a higher voter turnout than 2009.[224] Phase 6: 24 April The second largest voting day entailed 180 million eligible voters across 201,735 voting centres to elect 117 members of parliament from 2,098 candidates.[225] Tamil Nadu set a new voter turnout record for Lok Sabha elections with 73%, while West Bengal experienced the highest voter turnout for the day at 82%.[226] As compared to that, urban centres such as Mumbai and Chennai saw lower voter turnouts, but bettered their figures from previous years. Mumbai witnessed a 53% turnout, compared to 41% in 2009.[227] The rural areas of Maharashtra saw over 60% turnout, Madhya Pradesh had 64%, Uttar Pradesh had over 60%, Chhattisgarh had about 66%, Assam had over 70%,[228] Bihar has about 60%, Jharkhand had 63.4%, Rajasthan had about 60% and Pudhucherry had about 82%.[225][229] One of six constituencies from Jammu and Kashmir, Anantnag, had the lowest turnout of 28%, after a boycott call by separatists,[230] an attack on 22 April that killed three people,[231] and with thousands of Kashmiri Pandits protesting in the afternoon that their names were missing from the electoral roll.[232] As with previous phases, the overall voter turnout for the day was higher than 2009.[233] In both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the turnout was about 9% higher, while Uttar Pradesh saw a 13% increase.[225][228] Phase 7: 30 April The 7th phase of voting entailed about 140 million eligible voters to elect 89 members of parliament from 1,295 candidates in 7 states and 2 Union Territories.[234] Punjab set a new record in its voter turnout for general elections with 73%.[235] Gujarat saw the highest jump in voter turnout for the day with 62% turnout compared to 48% turnout in 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The nine constituencies in West Bengal reported over 81% turnout.[236] Uttar Pradesh witnessed 57% turnout compared to 48% in 2009, while Bihar saw 60% compared to 52% in 2009.[234] One of six constituencies from Jammu and Kashmir, eligible to vote in this phase, had the lowest turnout for the day at 26% compared to 25.55% in 2009, after a boycott call by separatists.[237] Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, which will become Indias new state on 2 June 2014, saw nearly 72% turnout to elect Lok Sabha members as well as its first state government.[236] The aggregate turnout so far in the first 7 phases for 438 parliamentary seats has been 66.20%, significantly more than 57.41% figure in 2009 general elections.[235] Phase 8: 7 May The 8th phase saw voting for 64 Lok Sabha seats in 7 states with 897 candidates competing.[238] Along with the general elections, polls were also held for the first Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh excluding Telangana region.[239] The voter turnout was high, with West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh each setting their respective general election voter turnout records. West Bengal recorded 81% polling compared to 78% for 2009.[238] Andhra Pradesh recorded nearly 76% voter turnout.[240] Himachal Pradesh saw about 66% turnout compared to 58% for 2009.[241] Uttarakhand also set a new voter turnout record with 62% compared to 53% in 2009.[242] The 2 constituencies of Jammu & Kashmir that voted witnessed a 49.9% turnout,[238] while constituencies of Bihar saw 58% compared to 45% in 2009.[242] Uttar Pradesh experienced a 55.5% turnout compared to 43.4% in 2009.[243] Phase 9: 12 May The 9th and last phase of voting entailed over 90 million eligible voters to elect 41 members of parliament from 606 candidates in 3 states.[244] The 6 seats in Bihar saw a voter turnout of 58%, compared to 46% in 2009.[244] Uttar Pradeshs 18 constituencies witnessed a 55.3% turnout, compared to 46.6% in 2009.[245] In West Bengal, the 17 constituencies that voted, saw a turnout of about 80% compared to 82% in 2009.[245] The 2014 general elections, according to the Election Commission of India, recorded a cumulative total of 66.38% voter turnout, or 551.3 million out of 814 million eligible people casting their vote,according to provisional figures.[246] The 2014 turnout surpassed Indias previous highest voter turnout record of 64% in 1984 general elections.[244][247] The voter turnout in 2009 general elections was 58.19%, while 2004 general elections saw a voter turnout of 56.98%.[247] The 2014 general elections entailed 8,202 candidates competing for 543 seats.[248] Re-polls[edit] Many locations required re-polling for various reasons. There was re-polling on 9 polling stations in Orissa on 25 April.[249][250] The Election Commission ordered re-polls in 52 polling booths (30 in Andhra Pradesh, 11 in Uttar Pradesh and 11 in West Bengal) because of complaints of booth capturing, rigging, violence or as demanded by the locals. The re-poll was held on 13 May. In Uttar Pradesh, re-polls were held in 3 polling booths in Muzaffarnagar, 7 in Ferozabad and 1 in Badaun.[251][252] Re-polling also occurred on 14 May in Arunachal Pradesh and on 15 May in the states of Nagaland and Haryana.[253][254][255][256] The Left parties and BJP alleged mass rigging and booth capturing by Trinamool Congress at thousands of polling stations in West Bengal.[257][258][259][260] AAP demanded re-polling in 108 booths.[254][261] Congress demanded re-polling at 1,344 polling stations in Nagaland.[262] Re-polling was done in two polling stations in Tamil Nadu on 10 May and in 3 polling stations in Seemandhra on 13 May.[263][264][265][266] In Bihar, there was re-polling on 2 polling stations of Sitamarhi on 11 May and 3 polling stations in Muzaffarnagar went to re-polling on 13 May.[266][267][268][269] On 15 May, there was re-polling in one booth in Tamil Nadu, and at 5 booths in West Bengal, Bihar, Nagaland.[270][271][272][273][274][275][276][277] It was reported that not a single voter turned up for a re-poll at 5 polling stations in Nagaland on 15 May.[278][279] On 12 May, the Bombay High court declined to order supplementary polling for voters in Maharashtra whose names were missing from the electoral rolls. There were speculated to be as many as 100,000 voters missing from the electoral roll in Pune and as many as 200,000 missing from electoral roll in Mumbai.[280][281][282][283][284] Voting pattern[edit] The BJP secured 39% support from first time voters, while Congress received 19% of the first time votes.[7] Of the 87 Lok Sabha seats in the country identified by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) as having a high percentage of Muslim voters, the BJP won 45. These seats included 27 in Uttar Pradesh, 19 in West Bengal, 8 each in Assam and Kerala, 6 each in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir, 4 in Maharashtra, 2 in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, and one each in Haryana, Tripura, Lakshwadeep, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. The BJP also won 47 seats in the 102 constituencies where at least one in five voters is a Muslim, higher than the 24 such seats they had won in the 2009 election.[285] The BJP had no success among the 19 Muslim-dominated constituencies in West Bengal. Most of these seats were won by the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. The BJP was also unable to win any seats in the 10 such constituencies in the southern states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.[285] India Today reported that data released by the office of the Delhi chief electoral officer indicated a reversal in the Muslim communitys support for the Aam Aadmi Party in the capital. India Today noted that BJP had won all 7 seats in Delhi, with their candidates receiving a larger vote share. A large section of the Muslim population in the union territory celebrated the BJPs victory on 16 May, and stated that they felt no fear in voting for the party.[285] The NDA won 39 of 74 seats where Muslim voters make up between 21 to 95% of the total electorate. The BJP won all 16 seats, where the Muslim electorate is between 21 and 50%, in Uttar Pradesh. It also secured 5 out of 9 such seats in Bihar. Analyst Saeed Naqvi believes that Amit Shah managed to convince Dalits and OBC voters to elect the BJP by focusing on Mayawati and Mulayam Singh as Muslim appeasers in an atmosphere of perpetual communal tension.[286] The BJP won all 26 seats in Gujarat, marking the first time a single party won all seats in the state. The previous record was held by the Congress which won 25 of the 26 seats in the 1984 general election.[287] Results[edit] Main articles: Results of the Indian general election, 2014 and List of members of the 16th Lok Sabha ↓ 282 44[2] 149 BJP INC Others Party BJP INC AIADMK AITMC BJD SS TDP Leader Narendra Modi Rahul Gandhi Jayalalithaa Mamata Banerjee Naveen Patnaik Uddhav Thackeray Chandrababu Naidu CM Narendra Damodardas Modi.jpg Rahul Gandhi 1.jpg Jayalalithaa1.jpg Mamata Banerjee - Kolkata 2011-12-08 7531 Cropped.JPG Naveen Patnaik.jpg Uddhav thackeray 20090703.jpg N. Chandrababu Naidu.jpg Votes 31.0%, 171,637,684 19.3%, 106,935,311 3.3%, 18,115,825 3.8%, 21,259,681 1.7%, 9,491,497 1.9%, 10,262,982 2.5%, 14,094,545 Seats 282 (51.9%) 44 (8.1%) 37 (6.8%) 34 (6.2%) 20 (3.6%) 18 (3.3%) 16 (2.9%) 282 / 543 44 / 543 37 / 543 34 / 543 20 / 543 18 /
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 11:49:10 +0000
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