The voting period for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is spread over 44 days (Representational)
The stage is all set. India will begin voting for the Lok Sabha elections in less than a week. The nationwide elections will be held in seven phases and the results will be declared on June 4.
World's Biggest Election
From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians -- more than the population of the United States, the European Union and Russia combined -- will cast their votes in the mammoth national polls.
Announcing the poll schedule on March 16, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajeev Kumar, said over 97 crore people are eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, urging everyone to "get inked."
"We have 97 crore registered voters, over 10.5 lakh polling stations manned by 1.5 crore personnel, and 55 lakh EVMs," he said, adding out of 97 crore voters, 49.72 crore are men and 47.1 crore women.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, there were a total of 91.2 crore eligible voters with about 43.8 crore female voters and nearly 47.3 crore male voters.
Mr Kumar said the Commission has conducted 17 Lok Sabha elections, 16 Presidential elections, and more than 400 assembly elections.
Why does voting take so long? Voting will take place in different parts of the country in seven phases: 19 April, 26 April, 7 May, 13 May, 20 May, 25 May and 1 June.
It boils down to two key reasons: first, the size of the electorate, the world's most populous country, and the logistics needed to make sure that every registered voter is able to cast their ballot.
2024 Polls Second Longest In Indian History
The voting period for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, spread over 44 days, would be the second longest after the first parliamentary elections of 1951-52 which lasted for more than four months. The total number of days of the electoral process this time, from the announcement of the polls by the Election Commission to the counting of votes, is 82.
Asked about the long duration of polls, Mr Kumar said dates are decided based on the geography of regions and other factors such as public holidays, festivals, and examinations.
The shortest voting period for a general election in the country was in 1980 and it was just four days.
Between 1962 and 1989, the duration of the Lok Sabha elections was between four to 10 days. The shortest election was held in 1980 - from January 3 to 6 - when Indira Gandhi was voted back to power.
Narendra Modi's Growing Stature
The ruling coalition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -- led by the BJP -- is likely to secure a clear majority in general elections, a win that will ensure a comfortable third term for Narendra Modi, most opinion polls have shown.
In July last year, opposition parties declared that their alliance to take on the ruling dispensation would be called "I.N.D.I.A." - an acronym for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. And for the first time in years, the country's splintered opposition, roiled by ideological differences, is sinking its differences to take on the BJP.
But it has already received major setbacks including those from prominent faces of the bloc such as Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to be at the top among world leaders with an approval rating of 76 per cent, according to a survey by Morning Consult, a US-based consultancy firm.
He has won two national polls, the first one in 2014 and the other in 2019. He has never lost a state or a national election.
And a third term for him will catapult him into the league of India's greatest prime ministers in terms of tenure. Let's look at who all are up there.
Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister when India became Independent in 1947 and served the longest continuous term at an impressive 16 years and 286 days. He died, while in office, in 1964.
His daughter Indira Gandhi won in 1967 and 1971. She imposed an Emergency in 1975 and then lost the 1977 elections. However, she returned to power in 1980 and was assassinated, while serving as PM, in 1984.
From the BJP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister thrice (1996, 1998-2004). Cut to 2004: Economist Manmohan Singh served two consecutive terms as Prime Minister for a total of 10 years.
The 2014 elections in the country transformed the political landscape of India, experts say, with Narendra Modi coming to power and shattering Congress's grip on the country.
In the last general elections, the BJP clinched an absolute majority by sweeping 303 parliamentary seats. The Congress party managed to win only 52 seats.