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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent

Six weeks, 969 million voters, 2,600 parties: India’s mammoth election explained

Narendra Modi is surrounded by supporters as orange streamers fall to the ground
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi prepares for the start of the election. Photograph: Mahesh Kumar A/AP

What is happening?

India, home to more than 1.4 billion people, will begin its mammoth election on 19 April. The country prides itself on the scale of its parliamentary elections, ensuring that even those in the remotest corners and highest peaks of the vast country are able to cast their vote. Voting machines in such less accessible parts are carried on the backs of horses and elephants and for some, polling booths can be reached only by boat. India also boasts the world’s highest polling booth, 15,256ft (4,650 metres) up in the Himalayan mountains.

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