Elections in India

For the last general election, see 2024 Indian general election.

India has a parliamentary system as defined by its constitution, with power distributed between the union government and the states. India's democracy is the largest democracy in the world.

The President of India is the ceremonial head of state of the country and supreme commander-in-chief for all defense forces in India. However, it is the Prime Minister of India, who is the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in the national elections to the Lok Sabha (Lower house of the Parliament). The Prime Minister is the leader of the legislative branch of the Government of India. The Prime Minister is the head of the Union Council of Ministers.

India is regionally divided into States (and Union Territories) and each State has a Governor who is the state's head, but the executive authority rests with the Chief Minister, who is the leader of the party or political alliance that has won a majority in the regional elections, otherwise known as State Assembly Elections that exercises executive powers in that State. The respective State's Chief Minister has executive powers within the State and works jointly with the Prime Minister of India or their ministers on matters that require both State and Central attention. Some Union Territories also elect an Assembly and have a territorial government, and other (mainly smaller) Union Territories are governed by an administrator/lieutenant governor appointed by the President of India.

The President of India monitors the rule of law through their appointed governors in each State and on their recommendation, can take over the executive powers from the Chief Minister of the State temporarily when the elected representatives of the State government have failed to create a peaceful environment and it has deteriorated into chaos. The President of India dissolves the existing State government if necessary, and a new election is conducted.

The Republic of India has instituted universal suffrage since independence from the British Raj, with the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1949.

Results in history

1951–52 Indian general election

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Indian National Congress	47,665,951	45.03	364
	Socialist Party (India)	11,216,719	10.60	12
	Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party	6,135,978	5.80	9
	Communist Party of India	3,487,401	3.29	16
	Bharatiya Jana Sangh	3,246,361	3.07	3
	Scheduled Castes Federation	2,521,695	2.38	2
	Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad	2,091,898	1.98	3
	Krishikar Lok Party	1,489,615	1.41	1
	People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad)	1,367,404	1.29	7
	Shiromani Akali Dal	1,047,611	0.99	4
	Hindu Mahasabha	1,003,034	0.95	4
	Peasants and Workers Party of India	992,187	0.94	2
	All India Forward Bloc	963,058	0.91	1
	All India Ganatantra Parishad	959,749	0.91	6
	Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party	889,292	0.84	4
	Jharkhand Party	749,702	0.71	3
	Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)	468,108	0.44	3
	Commonweal Party	325,398	0.31	3
	Lok Sewak Sangh	309,940	0.29	2
	Zamindar Party	291,300	0.28	0
	Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party	236,094	0.22	1
	Uttar Pradesh Praja Party	213,656	0.20	0
	S.K. Paksha	137,343	0.13	0
	All India Forward Bloc (Ruikar)	133,936	0.13	0
	Kamgar Kisan Paksha	132,574	0.13	0
	Tribal Sangha	116,629	0.11	0
	Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress	115,893	0.11	1
	Kerala Socialist Party	102,098	0.10	0
	Indian Union Muslim League	79,470	0.08	1
	Revolutionary Communist Party of India	67,275	0.06	0
	Justice Party (India)	63,254	0.06	0
	All India United Kisan Sabha	60,254	0.06	0
	All People's Party (Assam)	36,851	0.03	0
	Tamil Nadu Congress Party	36,158	0.03	0
	Khasi-Jaintia Durbar	32,987	0.03	0
	Saurashtra Khedut Sangh	29,766	0.03	0
	Bolshevik Party of India	25,792	0.02	0
	All Manipur National Union	22,083	0.02	0
	Uttar Pradesh Revolutionary Socialist Party	20,665	0.02	0
	Hill People Party	17,350	0.02	0
	Krishak Sramik Party	16,955	0.02	0
	Kuki National Association	12,155	0.01	0
	Punjab Depressed Class League	11,789	0.01	0
	Pursharathi Panchayat	10,778	0.01	0
	Cochin Party	8,947	0.01	0
	Kisan Mazdoor Mandal	8,808	0.01	0
	Hyderabad State Praja Party	7,646	0.01	0
	Gandhi Sebak Seva	7,196	0.01	0
	Kisan Janta Sanyukta Party	6,390	0.01	0
	National Party of India	3,232	0.00	0
	Historical Research	1,468	0.00	0
	Independents	16,850,089	15.92	37
Appointed members		0	0.00	10
Total		105,847,982	100.00	499

Latest election

Full entry 2024 Indian general election

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	National Democratic Alliance		Bharatiya Janata Party	235,974,144	38.42	240
			Telugu Desam Party	12,775,270	2.08	16
			Janata Dal (United)	8,039,663	1.31	12
			Shiv Sena	7,401,447	1.21	7
			Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)	2,810,250	0.46	5
			Janata Dal (Secular)	2,173,701	0.35	2
			Jana Sena Party	1,454,138	0.24	2
			Rashtriya Lok Dal	893,460	0.15	2
			All Jharkhand Students Union	458,677	0.07	1
			Nationalist Congress Party	2,059,179	0.34	1
			United People's Party Liberal (no longer part of the National Democratic Alliance)	488,995	0.08	1
			Sikkim Krantikari Morcha	164,396	0.03	1
			Apna Dal (Soneylal)	808,245	0.13	1
			Asom Gana Parishad	1,298,707	0.21	1
			Hindustani Awam Morcha	494,960	0.08	1
			Pattali Makkal Katchi	1,879,689	0.31	0
			Bharath Dharma Jana Sena	505,753	0.08	0
			Tamil Maanila Congress	410,401	0.07	0
			Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam	521,787	0.08	0
			National People's Party	417,930	0.07	0
			Naga People's Front	299,536	0.05	0
			Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party	350,967	0.06	0
			Rashtriya Lok Morcha	253,876	0.04	0
			Rashtriya Samaj Paksha	467,282	0.08	0
			Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party	340,188	0.06	0
			Independent	342,882	0.06	0
		Total				293
	Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance		Indian National Congress	136,759,064	22.27	99
			Samajwadi Party	29,549,381	4.81	37
			All India Trinamool Congress	28,213,393	4.59	29
			Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	11,754,710	1.91	22
			Communist Party of India (Marxist)	11,342,553	1.85	4
			Rashtriya Janata Dal	10,107,402	1.65	4
			Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)	9,567,779	1.56	9
			Aam Aadmi Party (no longer part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance)	7,147,800	1.16	3
			Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar	5,921,162	0.96	8
			Communist Party of India	3,157,184	0.51	2
			Jharkhand Mukti Morcha	2,652,955	0.43	3
			Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation	1,736,771	0.28	2
			Indian Union Muslim League	1,716,186	0.28	3
			Jammu and Kashmir National Conference	1,147,041	0.19	2
			Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi	990,237	0.16	2
			Bharat Adivasi Party	1,257,056	0.20	1
			Kerala Congress	364,631	0.06	1
			Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	542,213	0.09	1
			Rashtriya Loktantrik Party	596,955	0.10	1
			Revolutionary Socialist Party	587,363	0.10	1
			All India Forward Bloc	289,941	0.05	0
			Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party	435,980	0.07	0
			Vikassheel Insaan Party	1,187,455	0.19	0
			Assam Jatiya Parishad	414,441	0.07	0
			Kerala Congress (Mani)	277,365	0.05	0
		Total				234
	YSR Congress Party			13,316,039	2.17	4
	Shiromani Akali Dal			1,814,318	0.30	1
	All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen			1,400,215	0.23	1
	Zoram People's Movement			208,552	0.03	1
	Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram)			691,820	0.11	1
	Voice of the People Party (Meghalaya) (MP died in office)			571,078	0.09	1
	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam			8,952,587	1.46	0
	Bahujan Samaj Party			13,153,818	2.14	0
	Karnataka Rashtra Samithi			51,529	0.01	0
	Biju Janata Dal			9,413,379	1.53	0
	Uttama Prajaakeeya Party			40,491	0.01	0
	Bharat Rashtra Samithi			3,657,237	0.60	0
	Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)			521,749	0.08	0
	Indian National Lok Dal			226,975	0.04	0
	Jannayak Janta Party			113,827	0.02	0
	Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam			1,128,616	0.18	0
	Gondwana Ganatantra Party			0	0.00	0
	All India United Democratic Front			625,954	0.10	0
	Revolutionary Goans Party			64,578	0.01	0
	Sikkim Democratic Front			77,171	0.01	0
	Bodoland People's Front			777,570	0.13	0
	Mizo National Front			140,264	0.02	0
	United Democratic Party (Meghalaya)			44,563	0.01	0
	Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party			23,268	0.00	0
	Other			0	0.00	0
	Independents			0	0.00	–
None of the above (India)				6,372,220	1.04	0
Total				614,190,359	100.00	536

Election Commission of India

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous authority of India that is enacted under the provisions of the Constitution, responsible for monitoring and administering Union and State election processes in India. This body is responsible for ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias. It derived its powers from A 324 of the constitution

The ECI, established as a permanent Constitutional Body, is entrusted by the Constitution with the superintendence, direction, and control of the entire electoral process for Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President of India.

Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per the statutory legislation.

All election-related disputes are handled by the Election Commission. The Supreme Court of India has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act as appropriate. The first chief election Commissioner was Sukumar Sen.

The elections for the President and Vice President of India, the Rajya Sabha (council of states) and Lok Sabha (house of the people), State Legislative Assemblies (including Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Puducherry), and State Legislative Councils are conducted by the Election Commission of India.

State Election Commissions

The State Election Commission (SEC) is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering elections to the 3rd tier of governance, i.e., the Local Government, which includes the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the Urban Local Bodies. As per the constitutional provision, superintendence, direction, and control of the conduct of Elections to Urban & Rural Local bodies vest in State Election Commission.

State Election Commission consists of a State Election Commissioner, who is appointed by the Governor for a fixed tenure of 5 years and cannot be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.

The elections to local self-government institutions, such as panchayats and municipalities, are conducted by the respective State Election Commissions (SECs).

List of State Election Commissions

• Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission

• Arunachal Pradesh State Election Commission

• Assam State Election Commission

• Bihar State Election Commission

• Chhattisgarh State Election Commission

• Delhi State Election Commission

• Goa State Election Commission

• Gujarat State Election Commission

• Haryana State Election Commission

• Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission

• Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission

• Jharkhand State Election Commission

• Karnataka State Election Commission

• Kerala State Election Commission

• Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission

• Maharashtra State Election Commission

• Manipur State Election Commission

• Meghalaya State Election Commission

• Mizoram State Election Commission

• Nagaland State Election Commission

• Odisha State Election Commission

• Puducherry State Election Commission

• Punjab State Election Commission

• Rajasthan State Election Commission

• Sikkim State Election Commission

• Tamil Nadu State Election Commission

• Telangana State Election Commission

• Tripura State Election Commission

• Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission

• Uttarakhand State Election Commission

• West Bengal State Election Commission

Types of elections

Elections in the Republic of India include elections for

• President of India,
• Vice President of India,
• Members of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha (Upper house)
• Members of the Parliament in Lok Sabha (Lower house),
• Members of State Legislative Councils (Upper house)
• Members of State Legislative Assemblies (Lower house/Unicameral house)
• Members of Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi
• Members of Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
• Members of Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry
• Members of local governance bodies (Municipal bodies and Panchayats),
• A By-election is held when a seat-holder of a particular constituency dies, resigns, or is disqualified.

Parliamentary general elections (Lok Sabha)

Members of Lok Sabha (House of the People), or the lower house of India's Parliament, are elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of India (who crossed 18 years of age) from a set of candidates who contest in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the Lok Sabha elections are called 'Members of Parliament' and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the President on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, on matters relating to the creation of new laws and removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place once in 5 years to elect 543 members for the Lok Sabha (Lower house).

General election results (Lok Sabha)

1st Lok Sabha (1951–52)

2nd Lok Sabha(1957)

4th Lok Sabha(1967)

5th Lok Sabha(1971)

6th Lok Sabha(1977)

7th Lok Sabha(1980)

8th Lok Sabha(1984)

9th Lok Sabha(1989)

10th Lok Sabha(1991)

11th Lok Sabha(1996)

12th Lok Sabha(1998)

13th Lok Sabha(1999)

14th Lok Sabha(2004)

15th Lok Sabha(2009)

16th Lok Sabha(2014)

17th Lok Sabha (2019)

18th Lok Sabha(2024)

History of Lok Sabha elections

Lok Sabha elections

Lok Sabha (Election)	Total Seats	First				Second				Third
		Political party		Seats	Percentage of votes	Political party		Seats	Percentage of votes	Political party		Seats	Percentage of votes
1st (1951–52)	489	Indian National Congress		364	44.99%	Communist Party of India		16	3.29%	Socialist Party		12	10.59%
2nd (1957)	494	Indian National Congress		371	47.78%	Communist Party of India		27	8.92%	Praja Socialist Party		19	10.41%
3rd (1962)	494	Indian National Congress		361	44.72%	Communist Party of India		29	9.94%	Swatantra Party		18	7.89%
4th (1967)	520	Indian National Congress		283	40.78%	Swatantra Party		44	8.67%	Bharatiya Jana Sangh		35	9.31%
5th (1971)	518	Indian National Congress (R)		352	43.68%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		25	5.12%	Communist Party of India		23	4.73%
6th (1977)	542	Janata Party		295	41.32%	Indian National Congress (R)		154	34.52%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		22	4.29%
7th (1980)	529	Indian National Congress (Indira)		353	42.69%	Janata Party (Secular)		41	9.39%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		37	6.24%
8th (1984)	541	Indian National Congress (Indira)		414	48.12%	Telugu Desam Party		30	4.06%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		22	5.72%
9th (1989)	529	Indian National Congress (Indira)		197	39.53%	Janata Dal		143	17.79%	Bharatiya Janata Party		85	11.36%
10th (1991)	534	Indian National Congress (Indira)		244	36.40%	Bharatiya Janata Party		120	20.07%	Janata Dal		59	11.73%
11th (1996)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		161	20.29%	Indian National Congress (Indira)		140	28.80%	Janata Dal		46	8.08%
12th (1998)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		182	25.59%	Indian National Congress		141	25.82%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		32	5.16%
13th (1999)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		182	23.75%	Indian National Congress		114	28.30%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		33	5.40%
14th (2004)	543	Indian National Congress		145	26.53%	Bharatiya Janata Party		138	22.16%	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		43	5.66%
15th (2009)	543	Indian National Congress		206	28.55%	Bharatiya Janata Party		116	18.80%	Samajwadi Party		23	3.23%
16th (2014)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		282	31.34%	Indian National Congress		44	19.52%	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam		37	3.31%
17th (2019)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		303	37.70%	Indian National Congress		52	19.67%	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam		24	2.36%
18th (2024)	543	Bharatiya Janata Party		240	36.56%	Indian National Congress		99	21.19%	Samajwadi Party		37	4.58%

State Assembly elections

Members of the State Legislative Assembly are elected directly by voting from a set of candidates who contest in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the State Legislative Assemblies elections are called 'Members of Legislative Assembly' (MLA) and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the Governor. The house meets in the respective state, on matters relating to the creation of new laws, removing, or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens living in that state.

The total strength of each assembly depends on each State, mostly based on size and population. Similar to the Lok Sabha elections, the leader of the majority party/alliance takes an oath as Chief Minister of the State.

The Election Commission conducts the elections and provides a voluntary facility to 80-plus-year-old electors to vote through ballot papers at their homes depending upon polling booth accessibility. Elections are taken up enthusiastically by a major portion of the population, who turn out in high numbers. For example, An 83-year-old woman, Dolma, cast her vote at the Chasak Bhatori polling station in the Pangi area of the Chamba district after covering 14 kilometers walking on a snowy road during the 2022 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.

Prior to the much awaited Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the state assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana are an important political event. November 7 and November 17 are the scheduled dates for Chhattisgarh's elections, while Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana will hold their votes on November 17, November 23, and November 30, respectively. The political climate before the national elections is anticipated to be shaped by the outcomes of these elections, which are anticipated to be declared on December 3. Key political players in these states are diverse and competing for domination, such as the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and other regional parties. These states differ in the quantity of assembly seats they have; Chhattisgarh has ninety seats.

By-election

When an elected candidate to either the State Assembly, Lok Sabha, or Rajya Sabha leaves the office vacant before their term ends, a by-election is conducted to find a suitable replacement to fill the vacant position. It is often referred to in India as bypolls.

Common reasons for by-elections:

• Resignation by the sitting MP or MLA
• Death of the sitting MP or MLA

But other reasons occur when the incumbent becomes ineligible to continue in office (criminal conviction, failure to maintain a minimum level of attendance in the office, due to election irregularities found later, or when a candidate wins more than one seat and has to vacate one).

Rajya Sabha (Upper House) Elections

Main article: Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is the upper house of India's Parliament. Candidates are not elected directly by the citizens but by the members of legislative assemblies and up to 13 can be nominated by the President of India for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services. Members of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha get a tenure of six years, with one-third of the body facing re-election every two years. Rajya Sabha acts as a second-level review body before a bill becomes an act.

The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions.

The legislative proposals (making new laws, removing, or appending new conditions to the existing law) are brought before either house of the Parliament in the form of a bill. A bill is the draft of a legislative proposal, which, when passed by both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) and assented to by the President, becomes an Act of Parliament.

The Constitution of India, however, places some restrictions on the Rajya Sabha, which makes the Lok Sabha more powerful in certain areas. For example, it stipulates that money bills must originate in the Lok Sabha.

Members of Rajya Sabha debate bills sent by the Lok Sabha and can approve, reject, or send the bill back to the Lok Sabha for further debate and discussion on the matter, as well as to suggest better changes in the drafted bill. Members of the Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations to the Lok Sabha for money bills within 14 days. If the Rajya Sabha fails to return the money bill in 14 days to the Lok Sabha, that bill is deemed to have passed by both the houses. Also, if the Lok Sabha rejects any (or all) of the amendments proposed by the Rajya Sabha, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both Houses of Parliament of India in the form in which the Lok Sabha finally passes it.

Election procedure in India

Candidates are required to file their nomination papers with the Electoral Commission. Then, a list of candidates is published. No party is allowed to use government resources for campaigning. No party is allowed to bribe the candidates before elections. The government cannot start a project during the election period. Campaigning ends by 6:00 pm two days before the polling day.

The polling is held between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm. The Collector of each district is in charge of polling. Government employees are employed as poll officers at the polling stations. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being used instead of ballot boxes to prevent election fraud. After the citizen votes, his or her left index finger is marked with indelible ink. This practice was instituted in 1962.

Privacy Shields for Voting Booth used in India

Election machinery

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is the state-level authority appointed to oversee the conduct of elections under the supervision of the Election Commission of India. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) supervise the election work related to State Assembly and Parliament elections. The Chief Electoral Officer is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer of the State or Union Territory government, nominated by the Election Commission of India. The CEO oversees voter registration, prepares the electoral rolls, ensures compliance with election laws and the Model Code of Conduct, and ensures the smooth conduct of elections to the Parliament of India as well as the State Legislature.

At the district level, District Collectors are designated as District Election Officers (DEOs) by both the Election Commission of India (ECI) and State Election Commissions (SECs). The District Election Officers (DEOs) supervise various elections in the district. The District Collector functions as the Returning Officer (RO) for the Lok Sabha Constituency as well. Each Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly constituency is assigned a Returning Officer (RO) responsible for conducting the election, assisted by Assistant Returning Oficers (AROs). For voter list management and related duties there are Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers for each legislative constituency, and at the field level there are Booth Level Officers (BLOs). At the polling-booth level, the election is conducted by a Presiding Officer and a team of Polling Officers. The ECI and SECs designate various state government officials to the said roles.

District Election Officers oversee electoral roll preparation and conduct local government elections in their districts under the direction of the State Election Commission.

Vote from home

The Election Commission of India has granted permission for individuals aged 80 and above and those with physical challenges to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes using ballot papers. To avail of this facility, eligible individuals must register with the designated booth-level officer at least 10 days prior to the election date. The necessary Form 12-D for facilitating the postal ballot has to be submitted well in advance. A dedicated team of five officers, including a polling officer, micro observer, police officer, and photographer, will visit their residences to ensure a smooth and transparent polling process. The entire polling procedure will be documented through photographs and videos. While the option to vote from home is voluntary, the decision cannot be reversed later once an elector chooses this method. Election officials in Bhopal, India, are actively reaching out to the residences of super senior citizens (aged above 80 years) and voters with disabilities to provide assistance in submitting their votes through postal ballots for 2023 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections.

In the 2024 lok sabha elections, ECI extended the "vote-from-home" option to people aged 85 years and above and to Persons with Disabilities (PwD) for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha elections. The goal of this move is to improve participation and accessibility in the electoral process.

A senior citizen (above 80) is casting her vote from home in Bhopal

Indelible ink

Ink used in Indian elections

Ink bottle pledge

Research into indelible ink was commenced by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In the 1950s, M. L. Goel worked on this research at the Chemical Division of the National Physical Laboratory of India. The ink used contains silver nitrate, which makes it photo-sensitive. It is stored in amber-colored plastic or brown-colored glass bottles. On application, the ink remains on the finger for at least two days. It may last up to a month, depending on the person's body temperature and the environment.

Electronic voting

Main article: Electronic voting in India

Voting machine

BHAVIK (EVM) were first used in the 1997 election and became the only method of voting in 2004. The EVMs save time in reporting results. A voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) was introduced on 14 August 2014 in Nagaland. In the 2014 general election, VVPAT was operational in 8 constituencies (Lucknow, Gandhinagar, Bangalore South, Chennai Central, Jadavpur, Raipur, Patna Sahib and Mizoram) as a pilot project. A slip generated by the VVPAT tells a voter to which party or candidate their vote has been given, their name, their constituency and their polling booth.

Opposition parties demanded that VVPAT be made mandatory all over India due to allegations against the government of hacking the EVM. Accordingly, Voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs) and EVMs were used in every assembly and the general election in India since 2019. On 9 April 2019, Supreme Court of India gave the judgement, ordering the Election Commission of India to increase the VVPAT slips vote count to five randomly selected EVMs per assembly constituency, which means the Election Commission of India has to count VVPAT slips of 20,625 EVMs in the 2019 General elections. VVPAT enables voters to cross-check whether the vote they have given goes to their desired candidate, as the VVPAT unit produces a paper slip, additionally called a ballot slip, that contains the name, serial number, and image of the candidate selected by the voter for his vote. Post the 2019 general election, ECI declared that there were no mismatches between EVM and VVPAT. During elections in 2025, Rahul Gandhi made remarks about electoral fraud and labelled his findings "vote chor," accusing the election commission and BJP of stealing votes in national and state elections through the work of EVMs. This vote chor movement is still ongoing as of 2026.

NOTA

Further information: None of the Above in Indian Elections

On 27 September 2013, the Supreme Court of India judged that citizens have the right to cast a negative vote by exercising the "None of the above" (NOTA) option. This was the result of petitioning by the Electoral Commission and the People's Union for Civil Liberties in 2009. In November 2013, NOTA was introduced in five state elections. Even if the number of electors opting for the NOTA option is more than the number of votes polled by any of the candidates, the candidate who secures the largest number of votes has to be declared elected.

Absentee voting

India does not provide general absentee voting. On 24 November 2010, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2010 was gazetted to give voting rights to non-resident Indians but a physical presence at the voting booth is still required.

Postal voting

Postal voting in India is done only through the "Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Papers (ETPB)" system of the Election Commission of India, where ballot papers are distributed to the registered eligible voters, and they return the votes by post. When the counting of votes commences, these postal votes are counted before those from the Electronic Voting Machines. Only certain categories of people are eligible to register as postal voters. People working in the Union armed forces and state police, as well as their spouses and employees working for the Government of India who are officially posted abroad, can register for the postal vote; these are also called the "Service voters". Additionally, people in preventive detention, disabled, and those above the age of 80 years old can use postal votes. Prisoners cannot vote at all.

Elections by statewise

1. Elections in Andhra Pradesh
2. Elections in Arunachal Pradesh
3. Elections in Assam
4. Elections in Bihar
5. Elections in Chhattisgarh
6. Elections in Delhi
7. Elections in Goa
8. Elections in Gujarat
9. Elections in Haryana
10. Elections in Himachal Pradesh
11. Elections in Jammu and Kashmir
12. Elections in Jharkhand
13. Elections in Karnataka
14. Elections in Kerala
15. Elections in Madhya Pradesh
16. Elections in Maharashtra
17. Elections in Manipur
18. Elections in Meghalaya
19. Elections in Mizoram
20. Elections in Nagaland
21. Elections in Odisha
22. Elections in Puducherry
23. Elections in Punjab
24. Elections in Rajasthan
25. Elections in Sikkim
26. Elections in Tamil Nadu
27. Elections in Telangana
28. Elections in Tripura
29. Elections in Uttar Pradesh
30. Elections in Uttarakhand
31. Elections in West Bengal

See also

• 49-O Now replaced with 'NOTA (None of The Above)'
• Booth capturing
• Democracy in India
• History of democracy in the Indian-subcontinent
• Gopala I
• Election Commission of India
• Exercise Franchise For Good Governance
• Legislative Assembly elections in India
• British India - General Elections
  • 1920 Indian general election
  • 1923 Indian general election
  • 1926 Indian general election
  • 1930 Indian general election
  • 1934 Indian general election
  • 1945 Indian general election
• British India - Provincial Elections
  • 1937 Indian provincial elections
  • 1946 Indian provincial elections

External links

• Jensenius, Francesca R.; Chhibber, Pradeep; Alam, Sanjeer; Gupta, Pranav; Somanathan, Madhavan (2025-07-01). "Indian election data for polling stations and villages: National elections 2009–2019". Scientific Data. 12 (1).
• Election Commission of India^[usurped]
• Adam Carr's election archive
• Qualification and disqualification^[usurped] Election Commission of India handbook for candidates
• Elections India Archived 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine