Into poll mode

Now that the Election Commission has announced its schedule for the election to the 18th Lok Sabha, the country has formally entered its election mode. The run-up to the elections had been launched by the ruling BJP-led alliance and the Congress-led opposition almost a year ago, when both sides had launched vigorous campaigns keeping in mind the election ahead. For the record, the Election Commission has prepared quite a lengthy seven-phase schedule, which covers quite a long period, starting with the first phase of polling on April 19 and the last on June 1, with June 4 being fixed as the day for counting and results. The biggest democratic exercise in human history, the country has about 968 million registered voters who are eligible to cast their votes and elect the 18th Lok Sabha. Among them are about 497 million male voters, about 471 million female voters, and about 18 million will be first-time voters (between the ages of 18 and 19), and roughly 8.84 million voters who are persons with disabilities. For those who are fond of statistics, there are about 8.2 million voters who are 85 years and older, about 197.4 million young voters (between the ages of 20 and 29), roughly 48,000 transgender voters, and a little over 2.18 lakh voters who have already crossed 100 years in life. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party as well as that of the NDA, is seeking a third term, the opposition, which continues to be far from united, has vowed to prevent Modi from making a hat-trick. As of now, almost all pre-election surveys have indicated that Modi will get a clear mandate to assume office for the third consecutive term. In sharp contrast, the strength of the Congress in Lok Sabha, according to the pre-poll surveys, is likely to dwindle further. The BJP and its allies in the NDA have also exuded confidence that it would be smooth sailing for Modi. On the contrary, the so-called allies of the Congress have already started creating problems by announcing candidates in several constituencies where the Congress has yet to finalise its nominees. Opposition unity, which is an often-uttered term during the run-up to every Lok Sabha election in this country, has hardly become a reality, especially when the Congress leads the opposition. In contrast, on several occasions, it was the combined force of the opposition that dislodged the Congress when it was in power. The most historic such victory for the opposition was in 1977, when Indira Gandhi’s autocratic regime was dismissed.