Here’s what you need to know about the world’s largest democratic election starting in India

NEW DELHI — The world’s largest democratic election could also be one of the most consequential.

In the general election in India, a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion and approximately 970 million voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, will face off against a broad coalition of opposition parties struggling to catch up.

Mr. Modi, 73, first came to power in 2014 promising economic development and presented himself as an outsider in the crackdown on corruption. Since then, he has fused religion and politics, garnering wide support from the country’s Hindu majority.

India under Modi has emerged as a global power, but his rule has seen rising unemployment, attacks by Hindu nationalists on minorities, especially Muslims, and a lack of space for dissent and a free media. It is also characterized by reduction.

How are elections held?

The six-week general election begins on April 19th, with results announced on June 4th. Voters, representing more than 10% of the world’s population, elect 543 members of the House of Representatives for five-year terms. .

Voting will be conducted in seven stages, with voting taking place at more than 1 million polling stations. Each phase lasts one day, with multiple precincts in multiple states voting on that day. Staggered voting allows the government to deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent violence and transport election workers and voting machines.

India has a first-past-the-post multiparty election system, where the candidate who receives the most votes wins. To secure a majority, a party or coalition must pass the 272-seat threshold.

Voters in countries such as the United States use paper ballots, while in India they use electronic voting machines.

Who is running?

Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and his main challenger Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress faction represent the two largest factions in the Congress. Several other important regional parties belong to opposition blocs.

The previously divided opposition parties have united under a front called INDIA (Indian Inclusive Alliance for National Development) to prevent Mr. Modi from winning a third consecutive election.

The alliance is fielding a single primary candidate in most constituencies. However, ideological differences and personality clashes have caused confusion, and a candidate for prime minister has not yet been decided.

Most polls suggest Mr. Modi is likely to win easily, especially after he inaugurated a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya in January and his party’s long-standing Hindu nationalist platform. This is true after fulfilling the pledge.

Another victory would solidify Mr. Modi as one of the country’s most popular and important leaders. This follows the Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in 2019, when it won an absolute majority by winning 303 seats. The National Congress party won only 52 seats.

What’s the big problem?

India has remained stubbornly committed to its democratic beliefs for decades, primarily due to free elections, an independent judiciary, a prosperous media, a strong opposition, and a peaceful transition of power. Some of these credentials have slowly eroded under Prime Minister Modi’s 10-year rule, and the polls are seen as a test of the country’s democratic values.

Many watchdog organizations now classify India as a “hybrid regime” that is neither fully democratic nor fully dictatorial.

The polls will also test the limits of Mr. Modi, a populist leader whose rise has led to increasing attacks on religious minorities, mainly Muslims. Critics have accused him of playing on a Hindu-first platform and endangering the country’s secular roots.

Under Modi, the media, once considered active and largely independent, has become more flexible and less critical. Courts have largely followed Mr. Modi’s wishes, ruling in his favor in key cases. The centralization of executive power created tensions in India’s federal system. Federal agencies are also embroiling opposition leaders in corruption cases, which they deny.

Another important issue is India’s large economy, which is the fastest growing in the world. It has helped India emerge as a world power and a counterweight to China. But despite India’s economic growth showing some gains, the Modi government has struggled to create enough jobs for young Indians, instead offering free meals and offers to lure voters. They rely on welfare programs such as housing.

The United Nations’ latest Asia-Pacific Human Development Report ranks India among the countries with the highest levels of income and wealth inequality.