jbp123/hello · Datasets at Hugging Face

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prison or commandant of the detention camp in which he is so	confined or is under such detention is authorised to administer the	oath. And in the case of a candidate confined to bed in a hospital
or elsewhere owing to illness or any other cause, the medical	superintendent in charge of the hospital or the medical practitioner	attending on him is similarly authorised. If a candidate is outside
India, the Indian Ambassador or High Commissioner or diplomatic	consular authorised by him can also administer oath/affirmation.	The candidate, in person, is required to make the oath or
affirmation immediately after presenting his nomination papers	and in any case not later than the day previous to the date of the	scrutiny8 .
Election Campaign	The campaign is the period when the political parties put forward	their candidates and arguments with which they hope to persuade
people to vote for their candidates and parties. Candidates are	given a week to put forward their nominations. These are	scrutinised by the Returning Officers and if not found to be in
order can be rejected after a summary hearing. Validly nominated	candidates can withdraw within two days after nominations have	been scrutinised. The official campaign lasts at least two weeks
from the drawing up of the list of nominated candidates, and	officially ends 48 hours before polling closes.	During the election campaign, the political parties and
contesting candidates are expected to abide by a Model Code of	Conduct evolved by the Election Commission on the basis of a	consensus among political parties. The model code lays down
broad guidelines as to how the political parties and candidates	should conduct themselves during the election campaign. It is	intended to maintain the election campaign on healthy lines, avoid
clashes and conflicts between political parties or their supporters	and to ensure peace and order during the campaign period and	thereafter, until the results are declared. The model code also
prescribes guidelines for the ruling party either at the Centre or in	the state to ensure that a level field is maintained and that no	cause is given for any complaint that the ruling party has used its
official position for the purposes of its election campaign9 .	Once an election has been called, parties issue manifestos	detailing the programmes they wish to implement if elected to
government, the strengths of their leaders, and the failures of	opposing parties and their leaders. Slogans are used to	popularise and identify parties and issues, and pamphlets and
posters distributed to the electorate. Rallies and meetings where	the candidates try to persuade, cajole and enthuse supporters,	and denigrate opponents, are held throughout the constituencies.
Personal appeals and promises of reform are made, with	candidates travelling the length and breadth of the constituency to	try to influence as many potential supporters as possible.
Polling Days	Polling is normally held on a number of different days in different	constituencies, to enable the security forces and those monitoring
the election to keep law and order and ensure that voting during	the election is fair.	Ballot Papers and Symbols
After nomination of candidates is complete, a list of competing	candidates is prepared by the Returning Officer, and ballot papers	are printed. Ballot papers are printed with the names of the
symbols allotted to each of the candidates. Candidates of	recognised parties are allotted their party symbols.	Voting Procedure
Voting is by secret ballot. Polling stations are usually set up in	public institutions, such as schools and community halls. To	enable as many electors as possible to vote, the officials of the
Election Commission try to ensure that there is a polling station	within two kilometres of every voter, and that no polling stations	should have to deal with more than 1500 voters. Each polling
station is open for at least eight hours on the day of the election.	On entering the polling station, the elector is checked against	the electoral roll10 , and allocated a ballot paper. The elector votes
by marking the ballot paper with a rubber stamp on or near the	symbol of the candidate of his choice, inside a screened	compartment in the polling station. The voter then folds the ballot
paper and inserts it in a common ballot box which is kept in full	view of the Presiding Officer and polling agents of the candidates.	This marking system eliminates the possibility of ballot papers
being surreptitiously taken out of the polling station or not being	put in the ballot box.	Since 1998, the Commission has increasingly used Electronic
Voting Machines (EMVs) instead of ballot boxes. In 2003, all state	elections and by elections were held using EVMs. Encouraged by	this, the Commission took a historic decision to use only EVMs for
the Lok Sabha election in 2004. More than 1 million EVMs were	used in this election.	Electronic Voting Machine
An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a simple electronic device	used to record votes in place of ballot papers and boxes which	were used earlier in conventional voting system. The advantages
of the EVM over the traditional ballot paper / ballot box system are	given here:	(i) It eliminates the possibility of invalid and doubtful votes which,
in many cases, are the root causes of controversies and	election petitions.	(ii) It makes the process of counting of votes much faster than
(iii) It reduces to a great extent the quantity of paper used thus	saving a large number of trees making the process eco-	friendly.
(iv) It reduces cost of printing (almost nil) as only one sheet of	ballot paper is required for each Polling Station11 .	Supervising Elections
The Election Commission appoints a large number of Observers	to ensure that the campaign is conducted fairly, and that people	are free to vote as they choose. Election expenditure Observers
keeps a check on the amount that each candidate and party	spends on the election.	Counting of Votes
After the polling has finished, the votes are counted under the	supervision of Returning Officers and Observers appointed by the	Election Commission. After the counting of votes is over, the
Returning Officer declares the name of the candidate, to whom	the largest number of votes have been given, as the winner and	as having been returned by the constituency to the concerned
House.	Elections to the Lok Sabha are carried out using a first-past-	the-post electoral system. The country is split up into separate
geographical areas, known as constituencies, and the electors	can cast one vote each for a candidate, the winner being the	candidate who gets the maximum votes.
Elections to the State Assemblies are carried out in the same	manner as for the Lok Sabha election, with the states and union	territories divided into single-member constituencies, and the first-
past-the-post electoral system used.	Media Coverage	In order to bring as much transparency as possible to the electoral
process, the media are encouraged and provided with facilities to	cover the election, although subject to maintaining the secrecy of	the vote. Media persons are given special passes to enter polling
Election Petitions	Any elector or candidate can file an election petition if he or she	thinks there has been malpractice during the election. An election
petition is not an ordinary civil suit, but treated as a contest in	which the whole constituency is involved. Election petitions are	tried by the High Court of the state involved, and if upheld can
even lead to the restaging of the election in that constituency.	Table 71.1 Results of Lok Sabha Elections	General Elective Seats Seats won by Parties (Major)
Elections	(Year)	First (1952) 489 Congress 364, Communist 16,
Socialist 12, KMPP 9, Jana	Sangh 3.	Second 494 Congress 371, Communist 27,
(1957) Praja Socialist 19, Jana Sangh	4.	Third (1962) 494 Congress 361, Communist 29,
Swatantra 18, Jana Sangh 14,	Praja Socialist 12, Socialists 6.	Fourth 520 Congress 283, Swatantra 44,
(1967) Jana Sangh 35, CPI 23, CPM	19, Sanyukta Socialist 23, Praja	Socialist 13.
Fifth (1971) 518 Congress 352, CPM 25, CPI	24, DMK 23, Jana Sangh 21,	Swatantra 7, Socialist 5.
Sixth (1977) 542 Janata 298, Congress 154,	CPM 22, CPI 7, AIADMK 18.	Seventh 542 Congress 353, Janata (Secular)
(1980) 41, Janata 31, CPM 36, CPI 11,	DMK 16.	Eight (1984) 542 Congress 415, TDP 28, CPM
12, BJP 2.	Ninth (1989) 543 Congress 197, Janata Dal 141,	BJP 86, CPM 32, CPI 12,
AIADMK 11, TDP 2.	Tenth (1991) 543 Congress 232, BJP 119, Janata	Dal 59, CPM 35, CPI 13, TDP
13, AIADMK 11.	Eleventh 543 BJP 161, Congress 140, Janata	(1996) Dal 46, CPM 32, TMCM 20,
DMK 17, SP 17, TDP 16, SS	15, CPI 12, BSP 11.	Twelfth 543 BJP 182, Congress 141, CPM
(1998) 32, AIADMK 18, TDP 12, SP	20, Samata 12, RJD 17.	Thirteenth 543 BJP 182, Congress 114, CPM
(1999) 33, TDP 29, SP 26, JD (U) 20,	SS 15, BSP 14, DMK 12, BJD	10, AIADMK 10.
Fourteenth 543 Congress 145, BJP 138, CPM	(2004) 43, SP 36, RJD 24, BSP 19,	DMK 16, Shiv Sena 12, BJD 11,
CPI 10.	Fifteenth 543 Congress 206, BJP 116, SP 23,	(2009) BSP 21, JD(U) 20, Trinamool
19, DMK 18, CPM 16, BJD 14,	Shiv Sena 11, NCP 9, AIADMK	9, TDP 6, RLD 5, CPI 4, RJD 4,
SAD 4.	Sixteenth 543 BJP 282, Congress 44,	(2014) AIADMK 37, Trinamool 34, BJD
20, Shiv Sena 18, TDP 16, TRS	11, CPM 9, YSR Congress 9,	NCP 6, LJP 6, SP 5, AAP 4,
(2019) 23, Trinamool 22, YSR	Congress 22, Shiv Sena 18, JD	(U) 16, BJD 12, BSP 10, TRS
9, LJP 6, NCP 5, SP 5.	Table 71.2 Prime Ministers after each Lok Sabha General	Election
General National Parties Prime Minister	Elections	(Year)
First (1952*) BJS, BPI, CPI, FBL Jawaharlal Nehru (15th	(MG), FBL (RG), HMS, August, 1947 to 27, May,	INC, KLP, KMPP, RCPI, 1964)
RRP, RSP, SCF, SP	Second BJS, CPI, INC, PSP -do-	(1957)
Third (1962) CPI, INC, BJS, PSP, -do-	SSP, SWA	Gulzari Lal Nanda (27th
May 1964 to 9th June,	1964)	Lal Bahadur Shastri (9th
June, 1964 to 11th	January 1966)	Gulzari Lal Nanda (11th
January 1966 to 24th	January, 1966)	Fourth BJS, CPI, CPM, INC, Mrs. Indira Gandhi (24th
(1967) PSP, SSP, SWA January 1966 to 24th	March 1977)	Fifth (1971) BJS, CPI, CPM, INC, -do-
NCO, PSP, SSP, SWA	Sixth (1977) BLD, CPI, CPM, INC, Morarji Desai (24th	NCO March, 1977 to 28th July,
1979)	Charan Singh (28th July	1979 to 14th January
1980)	Seventh CPI, CPM, INC (I), INC Mrs. Indira Gandhi (14th	(1980) (U), JNP, JNP (S) January 1980 to 31st
October, 1984)	Eighth BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS, Rajiv Gandhi (31st	(1984) INC, JNP, LKD October, 1984 to 2nd
December, 1989)	Ninth (1989) BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS Vishwanath Pratap Singh	(SCS), INC, JD, JNP (2nd December, 1989 to
(JP), LKD (B) 10th November, 1990)	Chandra Shekhar (10th	November, 1990 to 21st
June, 1991)	Tenth (1991) BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS P.V. Narasimha Rao	(SCS), INC, JD, JD(S), (21st June 1991 to 16th
JP, LKD May 1996)	Eleventh AIIC (T), BJP, CPI, CPM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee	(1996) INC, JD, JP, SAP (16th May 1996 to 1st
June, 1996)	H.D. Deve Gowda (1st	June, 1996 to 21st April
1997)	Inder Kumar Gujral (21st	April, 1997 to 19th
March, 1998)	Twelfth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee	(1998) INC, JD, SAP (19th March, 1998 to
22nd May, 2004)	Thirteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, -do-	(1999) INC, JD(S), JD(U)
(2004) INC, NCP (22nd May 2004 to 22nd	May 2009)	Fifteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Dr. Man Mohan Singh
(2009) INC, NCP, RJD (22nd May 2009 to 26th	May 2014)	Sixteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Narendra Modi (26th
(2014) INC, NCP May 2014 to 30th May	2019)	Seventeenth BSP, BJP, CPI, CPM, Narendra Modi (30th
(2019) INC, NCP, AITC May 2019 to till date)	* There were 14 recognised parties on all-India basis during 1952	elections. After the first general election, 4 parties were
recognized as national parties (Indian National Congress, Praja	Socialist Party, Communist Party of India and All India Bhartiya	Jan Sangh) in 1953.
Source: Electoral Statistics - Pocket Book (2015), Election	Commission of India, pp. 118–120.	Table 71.3 Participation in Lok Sabha Elections
General Number of Electorate Voter Turn- Number of	Elections Candidates (Million) out Polling	(Year) (Percentage) Stations
First (1952) 1,874 173.21 45.7 1,96,084	Second 1,519 193.65 45.74 2,20,478	(1957)
Third (1962) 1,985 217.68 55.42 2,38,244	Fourth 2,369 274.60 61.33 2,67,255	(1967)
Fifth (1971) 2,784 274.09 55.29 3,42,944	Sixth (1977) 2,439 321.17 60.49 3,58,208	Seventh 4,462 363.94 56.92 4,34,442
(1984)	Ninth (1989) 6,160 499.00 62.0 5,89,449	Tenth (1991) 8,699 514.00 61.0 5,94,797
Eleventh 13,952 592.57 57.94 7,66,462	(1996)	Twelfth 4,750 605.58 61.97 7,73,494
(1998)	Thirteenth 4,648 605.88 59.99 7,75,000	(1999)
Fourteenth 5,435 671.00 57.86 6,87,402	(2004)	Fifteenth 8,070 713.77 58.4 8,34,944

prison or commandant of the detention camp in which he is so

confined or is under such detention is authorised to administer the

oath. And in the case of a candidate confined to bed in a hospital

or elsewhere owing to illness or any other cause, the medical

superintendent in charge of the hospital or the medical practitioner

attending on him is similarly authorised. If a candidate is outside

India, the Indian Ambassador or High Commissioner or diplomatic

consular authorised by him can also administer oath/affirmation.

The candidate, in person, is required to make the oath or

affirmation immediately after presenting his nomination papers

and in any case not later than the day previous to the date of the

scrutiny8 .

Election Campaign

The campaign is the period when the political parties put forward

their candidates and arguments with which they hope to persuade

people to vote for their candidates and parties. Candidates are

given a week to put forward their nominations. These are

scrutinised by the Returning Officers and if not found to be in

order can be rejected after a summary hearing. Validly nominated

candidates can withdraw within two days after nominations have

been scrutinised. The official campaign lasts at least two weeks

from the drawing up of the list of nominated candidates, and

officially ends 48 hours before polling closes.

During the election campaign, the political parties and

contesting candidates are expected to abide by a Model Code of

Conduct evolved by the Election Commission on the basis of a

consensus among political parties. The model code lays down

broad guidelines as to how the political parties and candidates

should conduct themselves during the election campaign. It is

intended to maintain the election campaign on healthy lines, avoid

clashes and conflicts between political parties or their supporters

and to ensure peace and order during the campaign period and

thereafter, until the results are declared. The model code also

prescribes guidelines for the ruling party either at the Centre or in

the state to ensure that a level field is maintained and that no

cause is given for any complaint that the ruling party has used its

official position for the purposes of its election campaign9 .

Once an election has been called, parties issue manifestos

detailing the programmes they wish to implement if elected to

government, the strengths of their leaders, and the failures of

opposing parties and their leaders. Slogans are used to

popularise and identify parties and issues, and pamphlets and

posters distributed to the electorate. Rallies and meetings where

the candidates try to persuade, cajole and enthuse supporters,

and denigrate opponents, are held throughout the constituencies.

Personal appeals and promises of reform are made, with

candidates travelling the length and breadth of the constituency to

try to influence as many potential supporters as possible.

Polling Days

Polling is normally held on a number of different days in different

constituencies, to enable the security forces and those monitoring

the election to keep law and order and ensure that voting during

the election is fair.

Ballot Papers and Symbols

After nomination of candidates is complete, a list of competing

candidates is prepared by the Returning Officer, and ballot papers

are printed. Ballot papers are printed with the names of the

symbols allotted to each of the candidates. Candidates of

recognised parties are allotted their party symbols.

Voting Procedure

Voting is by secret ballot. Polling stations are usually set up in

public institutions, such as schools and community halls. To

enable as many electors as possible to vote, the officials of the

Election Commission try to ensure that there is a polling station

within two kilometres of every voter, and that no polling stations

should have to deal with more than 1500 voters. Each polling

station is open for at least eight hours on the day of the election.

On entering the polling station, the elector is checked against

the electoral roll10 , and allocated a ballot paper. The elector votes

by marking the ballot paper with a rubber stamp on or near the

symbol of the candidate of his choice, inside a screened

compartment in the polling station. The voter then folds the ballot

paper and inserts it in a common ballot box which is kept in full

view of the Presiding Officer and polling agents of the candidates.

This marking system eliminates the possibility of ballot papers

being surreptitiously taken out of the polling station or not being

put in the ballot box.

Since 1998, the Commission has increasingly used Electronic

Voting Machines (EMVs) instead of ballot boxes. In 2003, all state

elections and by elections were held using EVMs. Encouraged by

this, the Commission took a historic decision to use only EVMs for

the Lok Sabha election in 2004. More than 1 million EVMs were

used in this election.

Electronic Voting Machine

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a simple electronic device

used to record votes in place of ballot papers and boxes which

were used earlier in conventional voting system. The advantages

of the EVM over the traditional ballot paper / ballot box system are

given here:

(i) It eliminates the possibility of invalid and doubtful votes which,

in many cases, are the root causes of controversies and

election petitions.

(ii) It makes the process of counting of votes much faster than

(iii) It reduces to a great extent the quantity of paper used thus

saving a large number of trees making the process eco-

friendly.

(iv) It reduces cost of printing (almost nil) as only one sheet of

ballot paper is required for each Polling Station11 .

Supervising Elections

The Election Commission appoints a large number of Observers

to ensure that the campaign is conducted fairly, and that people

are free to vote as they choose. Election expenditure Observers

keeps a check on the amount that each candidate and party

spends on the election.

Counting of Votes

After the polling has finished, the votes are counted under the

supervision of Returning Officers and Observers appointed by the

Election Commission. After the counting of votes is over, the

Returning Officer declares the name of the candidate, to whom

the largest number of votes have been given, as the winner and

as having been returned by the constituency to the concerned

House.

Elections to the Lok Sabha are carried out using a first-past-

the-post electoral system. The country is split up into separate

geographical areas, known as constituencies, and the electors

can cast one vote each for a candidate, the winner being the

candidate who gets the maximum votes.

Elections to the State Assemblies are carried out in the same

manner as for the Lok Sabha election, with the states and union

territories divided into single-member constituencies, and the first-

past-the-post electoral system used.

Media Coverage

In order to bring as much transparency as possible to the electoral

process, the media are encouraged and provided with facilities to

cover the election, although subject to maintaining the secrecy of

the vote. Media persons are given special passes to enter polling

Election Petitions

Any elector or candidate can file an election petition if he or she

thinks there has been malpractice during the election. An election

petition is not an ordinary civil suit, but treated as a contest in

which the whole constituency is involved. Election petitions are

tried by the High Court of the state involved, and if upheld can

even lead to the restaging of the election in that constituency.

Table 71.1 Results of Lok Sabha Elections

General Elective Seats Seats won by Parties (Major)

Elections

(Year)

First (1952) 489 Congress 364, Communist 16,

Socialist 12, KMPP 9, Jana

Sangh 3.

Second 494 Congress 371, Communist 27,

(1957) Praja Socialist 19, Jana Sangh

4.

Third (1962) 494 Congress 361, Communist 29,

Swatantra 18, Jana Sangh 14,

Praja Socialist 12, Socialists 6.

Fourth 520 Congress 283, Swatantra 44,

(1967) Jana Sangh 35, CPI 23, CPM

19, Sanyukta Socialist 23, Praja

Socialist 13.

Fifth (1971) 518 Congress 352, CPM 25, CPI

24, DMK 23, Jana Sangh 21,

Swatantra 7, Socialist 5.

Sixth (1977) 542 Janata 298, Congress 154,

CPM 22, CPI 7, AIADMK 18.

Seventh 542 Congress 353, Janata (Secular)

(1980) 41, Janata 31, CPM 36, CPI 11,

DMK 16.

Eight (1984) 542 Congress 415, TDP 28, CPM

12, BJP 2.

Ninth (1989) 543 Congress 197, Janata Dal 141,

BJP 86, CPM 32, CPI 12,

AIADMK 11, TDP 2.

Tenth (1991) 543 Congress 232, BJP 119, Janata

Dal 59, CPM 35, CPI 13, TDP

13, AIADMK 11.

Eleventh 543 BJP 161, Congress 140, Janata

(1996) Dal 46, CPM 32, TMCM 20,

DMK 17, SP 17, TDP 16, SS

15, CPI 12, BSP 11.

Twelfth 543 BJP 182, Congress 141, CPM

(1998) 32, AIADMK 18, TDP 12, SP

20, Samata 12, RJD 17.

Thirteenth 543 BJP 182, Congress 114, CPM

(1999) 33, TDP 29, SP 26, JD (U) 20,

SS 15, BSP 14, DMK 12, BJD

10, AIADMK 10.

Fourteenth 543 Congress 145, BJP 138, CPM

(2004) 43, SP 36, RJD 24, BSP 19,

DMK 16, Shiv Sena 12, BJD 11,

CPI 10.

Fifteenth 543 Congress 206, BJP 116, SP 23,

(2009) BSP 21, JD(U) 20, Trinamool

19, DMK 18, CPM 16, BJD 14,

Shiv Sena 11, NCP 9, AIADMK

9, TDP 6, RLD 5, CPI 4, RJD 4,

SAD 4.

Sixteenth 543 BJP 282, Congress 44,

(2014) AIADMK 37, Trinamool 34, BJD

20, Shiv Sena 18, TDP 16, TRS

11, CPM 9, YSR Congress 9,

NCP 6, LJP 6, SP 5, AAP 4,

(2019) 23, Trinamool 22, YSR

Congress 22, Shiv Sena 18, JD

(U) 16, BJD 12, BSP 10, TRS

9, LJP 6, NCP 5, SP 5.

Table 71.2 Prime Ministers after each Lok Sabha General

Election

General National Parties Prime Minister

Elections

(Year)

First (1952*) BJS, BPI, CPI, FBL Jawaharlal Nehru (15th

(MG), FBL (RG), HMS, August, 1947 to 27, May,

INC, KLP, KMPP, RCPI, 1964)

RRP, RSP, SCF, SP

Second BJS, CPI, INC, PSP -do-

(1957)

Third (1962) CPI, INC, BJS, PSP, -do-

SSP, SWA

Gulzari Lal Nanda (27th

May 1964 to 9th June,

1964)

Lal Bahadur Shastri (9th

June, 1964 to 11th

January 1966)

Gulzari Lal Nanda (11th

January 1966 to 24th

January, 1966)

Fourth BJS, CPI, CPM, INC, Mrs. Indira Gandhi (24th

(1967) PSP, SSP, SWA January 1966 to 24th

March 1977)

Fifth (1971) BJS, CPI, CPM, INC, -do-

NCO, PSP, SSP, SWA

Sixth (1977) BLD, CPI, CPM, INC, Morarji Desai (24th

NCO March, 1977 to 28th July,

1979)

Charan Singh (28th July

1979 to 14th January

1980)

Seventh CPI, CPM, INC (I), INC Mrs. Indira Gandhi (14th

(1980) (U), JNP, JNP (S) January 1980 to 31st

October, 1984)

Eighth BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS, Rajiv Gandhi (31st

(1984) INC, JNP, LKD October, 1984 to 2nd

December, 1989)

Ninth (1989) BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS Vishwanath Pratap Singh

(SCS), INC, JD, JNP (2nd December, 1989 to

(JP), LKD (B) 10th November, 1990)

Chandra Shekhar (10th

November, 1990 to 21st

June, 1991)

Tenth (1991) BJP, CPI, CPM, ICS P.V. Narasimha Rao

(SCS), INC, JD, JD(S), (21st June 1991 to 16th

JP, LKD May 1996)

Eleventh AIIC (T), BJP, CPI, CPM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee

(1996) INC, JD, JP, SAP (16th May 1996 to 1st

June, 1996)

H.D. Deve Gowda (1st

June, 1996 to 21st April

1997)

Inder Kumar Gujral (21st

April, 1997 to 19th

March, 1998)

Twelfth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee

(1998) INC, JD, SAP (19th March, 1998 to

22nd May, 2004)

Thirteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, -do-

(1999) INC, JD(S), JD(U)

(2004) INC, NCP (22nd May 2004 to 22nd

May 2009)

Fifteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Dr. Man Mohan Singh

(2009) INC, NCP, RJD (22nd May 2009 to 26th

May 2014)

Sixteenth BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM, Narendra Modi (26th

(2014) INC, NCP May 2014 to 30th May

2019)

Seventeenth BSP, BJP, CPI, CPM, Narendra Modi (30th

(2019) INC, NCP, AITC May 2019 to till date)

* There were 14 recognised parties on all-India basis during 1952

elections. After the first general election, 4 parties were

recognized as national parties (Indian National Congress, Praja

Socialist Party, Communist Party of India and All India Bhartiya

Jan Sangh) in 1953.

Source: Electoral Statistics - Pocket Book (2015), Election

Commission of India, pp. 118–120.

Table 71.3 Participation in Lok Sabha Elections

General Number of Electorate Voter Turn- Number of

Elections Candidates (Million) out Polling

(Year) (Percentage) Stations

First (1952) 1,874 173.21 45.7 1,96,084

Second 1,519 193.65 45.74 2,20,478

(1957)

Third (1962) 1,985 217.68 55.42 2,38,244

Fourth 2,369 274.60 61.33 2,67,255

(1967)

Fifth (1971) 2,784 274.09 55.29 3,42,944

Sixth (1977) 2,439 321.17 60.49 3,58,208

Seventh 4,462 363.94 56.92 4,34,442

(1984)

Ninth (1989) 6,160 499.00 62.0 5,89,449

Tenth (1991) 8,699 514.00 61.0 5,94,797

Eleventh 13,952 592.57 57.94 7,66,462

(1996)

Twelfth 4,750 605.58 61.97 7,73,494

(1998)

Thirteenth 4,648 605.88 59.99 7,75,000

(1999)

Fourteenth 5,435 671.00 57.86 6,87,402

(2004)

Fifteenth 8,070 713.77 58.4 8,34,944