1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Indias 2019 National Elections: A Preview K. Alan Kronstadt Specialist in South Asian Affairs March 28, 2019 Overview India, a populous South Asian federal republic, is about to undertake the largest democratic exercise in
2、 human history in seating a new lower house of Parliament, the 545-seat Lok Sabha. The numbers involved can inspire awe: there are 880 million eligible voters in the countrys 29 states and 7 union territories. Five phases of voting will begin on April 11; results are due May 23. The last polls in 20
3、14 saw about 540 million voters choose from among more than 8,250 candidates representing 464 parties. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP or “Indian Peoples Party”) aspire to win another five-year term with a ruling majority. The Indian National Congress party
4、 (hereinafter “Congress Party”)historically dominant, but badly defeated in 2014seeks to build on recent state-level wins and potentially ally with powerful regional opposition parties to dislodge the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in New Delhi. (For an overview of Indias current politic
