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543 of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 716,985,101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 58.21% ( 0.14pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in India in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009 to elect the members of the fifteenth Lok Sabha. With an electorate of 716 million, it was the largest democratic election in the world until being surpassed by the 2014 general election.[2]
By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held every five years or when Parliament is dissolved by the president. The previous elections were held in May 2004 and the term of the 14th Lok Sabha would have naturally expired on 1 June 2009. Elections are organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and are normally held in multiple phases to better handle the large electorate and security concerns.[3] The 2009 elections were held in five phases. In February 2009, Rs.11.20 billion ($200.5 million) was budgeted for election expenses by parliament.[4]
A total of 8,070 candidates contested 543 seats elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.[5] Voter turnout over all five phases was around 58%. The results of the election were announced within three days of phase five, on 16 May.[6]
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Indian National Congress formed the government after winning a majority of seats, with strong results in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.[7] The UPA was able to put together a comfortable majority with support from 322 of the 543 elected members. External support was provided by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other minor parties.[8]
The newly formed Third Front led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) mainly constitute of regional parties gives a major challenge to United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) making the election a triangular fight.[9]
Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on 22 May 2009 at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.[10][11]
- ^ Jain, Bharti (25 July 2008). "Third front can upset UPA, NDA plans". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Ramesh, Randeep (16 April 2009). "In the Indian election, 700m voters, 28 days, 250,000 police: world's biggest democratic poll begins". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Indian election statistics astonish British MPs". samaylive.com. 4 June 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Rs 1120 crore allocated for Lok Sabha polls". The Times of India. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Lok Sabha Election Facts: Candidate Seat Ratio increased from 4 in 1952 to 25 in 1996". news.biharprabha.com. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ "India's ruling party wins resounding victory". Associated Press. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- ^ "Second UPA win, a crowning glory for Sonia's ascendancy". Business Standard. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Smooth sailing for UPA, parties scramble to support". CNN-IBN. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ Jain, Bharti (25 July 2008). "Third front can upset UPA, NDA plans". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Team Manmohan set to form govt today". Times Now. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "India PM Singh takes oath for second term". Reuters. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.