19 April 2024

• Elections: Phase 1 of the 2024 Lok Sabha election is held across 102 constituencies in 21 states and union territories. Over 62 per cent of 16.63 crore eligible voters cast their votes.
• Turnout: Tripura (80.17%), West Bengal Phase 1 seats (77.57%), and Lakshadweep (83.88%) lead; Bihar records the lowest at 48.5%.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim: Both states hold state assembly elections simultaneously. Arunachal Pradesh elects all 60 MLAs.
• Campaign environment: Heatwave conditions across several states. The ECI deployed water and shade stations at all booths.
• Phase 1 in numbers: 1,625 candidates contested. Manipur recorded incidents of shooting and intimidation. Nagaland saw shutdown calls in six districts.

GS area: Polity (elections, constitutional provisions)

India's 18th Lok Sabha election began on 19 April 2024 with Phase 1 polling.

Key facts:

• Constitutional basis: Elections to the Lok Sabha are governed by Article 324 (superintendence of the Election Commission), Article 326 (adult suffrage on the basis of one person, one vote), and Part XV (Articles 324-329).
• ECI powers: Article 324 vests superintendence, direction, and control of elections in the Election Commission. The Commission is a constitutional body, not a statutory one.
• Tenure of the Lok Sabha: Five years from the date of its first sitting (Article 83). The current Lok Sabha's term was to expire in June 2024.
• Phase 1 coverage:
  • Full-state polls: Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and UTs of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
  • Partial polls: Rajasthan (12 seats), Uttar Pradesh (8), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (5), Assam (5), Bihar (4), West Bengal (3), Manipur (2), Chhattisgarh (1), Tripura (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1).
• Eligible voters: 16.63 crore in Phase 1.
• Final turnout (ECI): 66.14 per cent.

Static linkage: elections, constitutional provisions, Election Commission.

GS area: Polity (elections), Society

Phase 1 turnout was 66.14 per cent overall, but the state-wise variation reveals structural differences in electoral participation.

Key facts:

• Highest: Lakshadweep (83.88%), Tripura (80.17%), West Bengal Phase 1 seats (77.57%), Puducherry (73.50%).
• Lowest: Bihar (48.5%), Jammu and Kashmir (38.49%).
• Why Bihar is low: High out-migration, caste consolidation strategies, and lower awareness among newly enfranchised voters.
• Manipur: Turnout was affected by security incidents. Shooting was reported in at least one constituency. The state remains tense following the May 2023 ethnic conflict.
• Nagaland: Shutdown calls by separatist groups led to zero turnout in six districts. Separatist-imposed boycotts are a recurring challenge to electoral participation in Nagaland.
• Heatwave impact: Afternoon turnout dipped in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where temperatures crossed 40 degrees Celsius. The ECI's booth-level heat mitigation measures (water, shade) partially offset this.

Static linkage: elections, social indicators, governance.

GS area: Polity (federalism, elections), Geography

Arunachal Pradesh elected its 60-member state assembly simultaneously with the 2 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Key facts:

• Article 356: President's Rule in states. Arunachal Pradesh's political history includes multiple invocations of President's Rule.
• Border state significance: Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with China, Bhutan, and Myanmar. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as "South Tibet."
• McMahon Line: The de facto boundary between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh, agreed in the 1914 Shimla Convention. China does not recognise it.
• Simultaneous elections: The 2024 simultaneous polls in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha (later phases) are part of the pattern of state elections coinciding with general elections. The government has proposed "One Nation One Election" to synchronise all elections.

Static linkage: federalism, elections, India's borders, northeast India.

GS area: Polity (elections, governance)

The ECI managed Phase 1 across challenging terrain including remote islands, high-altitude Himalayan constituencies, and conflict-affected northeast states.

Key facts:

• Number of polling stations in Phase 1: Over 1.87 lakh polling stations.
• Special booths: The ECI set up model polling stations, pink booths (managed by women officials), and booths at remote locations including islands and hill villages.
• Proxy voting: Allowed for defence and essential service personnel unable to reach their home constituency.
• EVM-VVPAT: All EVMs were linked to VVPAT units. Post-poll, VVPAT slips from 5 randomly selected booths per assembly segment are counted manually.
• Flying squads: Deployed to enforce Model Code of Conduct. Seized cash, liquor, and election material worth hundreds of crore rupees in Phase 1 constituencies.
• C-vigil app: Citizens could report MCC violations in real time via the app. The ECI committed to 100-minute resolution of complaints.

Static linkage: elections, Election Commission, governance.

GS area: Polity (elections)

NOTA (None of the Above) remains available on EVMs in 2024. Its use and significance is a frequent examination topic.

Key facts:

• Introduction: NOTA was introduced by the Supreme Court order in 2013 (PUCL v Union of India) and first used in state elections in November 2013.
• Position on EVM: Last on the list, with a ballot box symbol.
• Effect: NOTA votes are counted and disclosed but do not alter the result. The candidate with the highest valid votes wins even if NOTA exceeds their count.
• Debate: Critics argue NOTA should trigger a re-election if it beats all candidates; proponents of the status quo say the result reflects the democratic mandate.
• NOTA in 2019 elections: Over 1.3 crore votes (1.06 per cent of total) were cast for NOTA in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Static linkage: elections, Supreme Court decisions, electoral reforms.

• Shompen tribe votes for first time: Members of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island cast their first-ever votes in a Lok Sabha election. Population: 229 (2011 Census). The Shompen are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
• Bru community votes in Tripura: Bru (Reang) community members who were resettled in Tripura under the 2020 Quadripartite Agreement cast their first Lok Sabha votes.
• Voter turnout in Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and voted entirely in Phase 1. Turnout was approximately 69 per cent, consistent with the state's historically higher southern participation.