India’s Election: A Mammoth Task for Over 15 Million Polling Officials and Security Staff

The world’s largest ever general election is set to take place in India, with nearly a billion people eligible to vote over a period of just over six weeks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third term in power, facing opposition from a coalition of parties.

Indian citizens will be voting for 543 seats in the 545-seat lower house of parliament, known as the Lok Sabha. The party that secures a majority will appoint one of its winning candidates as prime minister to form the ruling government. Voting begins on April 19 and will last until June 1, with results announced on June 4. Some states have only one day to vote, while others like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal will vote over seven days.

About 12% of the world’s population will head to the polls, motivated by issues such as unemployment, welfare benefits, infrastructure, and democracy. The number of women registered to vote has increased by 40 million since the last election, and more than 20 million voters between ages 18 to 29 have been added to the electorate.

The upcoming election in India’s most populous country will see 969 million people casting their votes. With voting taking place electronically at over one million polling stations across the country, this election operation involves an impressive number of logistics and coordination efforts by about fifteen million polling officials and security staff who travel by various means such as road