Lok Sabha elections 2024 FAQs

All citizens above 18 years of age, regardless of their race, colour, or previous condition of subjugation have the right to vote under the Citizenship Act that grants them protection under the 15th Amendment.

As per the Election Commission of India, citizens are eligible to become voters under the following conditions: Every citizen who is 18 years old on the qualifying date (January 1 of the year in case) is eligible to be enrolled unless disqualified, enrollment only at place of residence, enrollment is only at one place, Overseas Indians deemed to reside in India.

No, voting in India is only limited to Indian citizens. People holding citizenship of another country are not eligible to vote or register. People who were Indian citizens earlier, but now have acquired citizenship of another country are also not eligible.

The Election commission of India (ECI) offers online voter registration for Indian citizens who have attained the age of 18 on the qualifying date (January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of the year of revision of electoral roll). Citizen, can enroll himself/herself as General Voter and fill Form 6 online at National Voters' Service Portal - https://voters.eci.gov.in/

According to Section 14 (b) of the Representation of People Act, 1950, the qualifying date for determining the age of an applicant is the first day of January of the year in which the electoral roll after revision is finally published. For example, if you have completed or are completing 18 years of age on any date from and after January 2, 2022 but up to January 1, 2023, you will be eligible for registration as a voter in the electoral roll going to be finally published in January, 2023.

Forms can be downloaded from the website of Election Commission of India. Forms are also available free of cost in offices of Electoral Registration Officers / Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and Booth Level Officers of the concerned polling station areas.

The Election Commission revises electoral rolls annually from September to October, which is published in the first week of January. Claim applications (Form 6) for objections or registration can be submitted during this period to the Electoral Registration Officer or a Designated Officer. The rolls are continually updated, allowing registration at any time through a claim application to the Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer.

The decision of the Electoral Registration Officer will be communicated to the applicant by post on his address given by him in Form 6 and also by SMS on the mobile number given by him in Form 6. Electoral rolls are also available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer of the State concerned and can be seen by anybody.

You can contact the nearest Election Commission office or visit the National Voters' Services Portal at www.nvsp.in.

Even if you don't have a voter ID card, you can still vote with most government-issued photo identity documents. These include: Aadhaar card, ration card, driving license, electricity bill, etc.

A replacement EPIC can be issued to an elector on the receipt of Form-8 for the purpose, along with a copy of FIR/Police Report.

To get enrolled in the voter list is your statutory right. Please check the electoral roll of your area available on website of Election Commission / Chief Electoral Officer of the state / in office of Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer. If your name is not included in the roll, please fill up Form 6 and submit it to the ERO/ AERO/ Booth Level Officer.

One recent passport size colored photograph, copies of the relevant pages of the passport containing photograph, address in India and all other particulars of the applicant and also the page of passport containing the valid visa endorsement.

It can be downloaded from the website of Election Commission of India. Forms are also available free of cost in offices of Electoral Registration Officers / Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.

Yes, as long as they have not acquired citizenship of any other country and are otherwise eligible to be registered as a voter at their place of residence in India.

A person confined in jail cannot vote in an election. As per the Representation of People Act, 1951, Section 62 (5), a person in prison, "under sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or in the lawful custody of the police" is not eligible to cast his vote in an election.

You can find your designated polling station on your voter ID card or by checking the official election commission website for your region. You need to bring a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a voter ID card, passport, or driver's license, to cast your vote. Check with your local election commission for specific requirements in your area.

Yes. As long as you have your name in the voters' list, you can walk in to a polling booth and cast your vote with an Aadhaar card as ID proof.

Visit the national voter’s registration portal (NVSP) at https://voters.eci.gov.in/Homepage, enter your details, and the portal will provide your constituency name and other relevant information.

Yes, a legislator can contest parliamentary elections in India. However, according to the Prohibition of Simultaneous Membership Rules, 1950, they will have to resign from the state legislature within 14 days of the Lok Sabha election results being declared. If he fails to resign from one of the two memberships within fourteen days, his seat in Parliament shall stand vacated. Therefore, they cannot hold both positions.

A service voter is someone with service qualification, defined in Section 20(8) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. It includes members of the armed forces, forces under the Army Act, police personnel serving outside their state, and individuals employed by the Centre in a post outside India. To enroll as a service voter: Armed Forces members have to fill Form 2, Armed Police serving outside their state fill Form 2A, and government employees posted outside India fill Form 3.

Service voters belonging to Armed Forces have the option of either voting through postal ballot or through a proxy voter duly appointed by him. A service voter who opts for voting through a proxy is called Classified Service Voter (CSV).

Service voters can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf by filling Form 13F on the Election Commission website. The proxy must be an ordinary resident of the same constituency and can be appointed in two ways: 1. If the service voter is at their duty station, they sign Form 13F before their commanding officer, then sends it to their proxy for signature before a notary or first class magistrate. The proxy can submit the form to the returning officer. 2. If the service voter is at his hometown, the voter and their proxy can sign Form 13F before a notary or first class magistrate and then send it to the returning officer.

You can vote using postal ballot only if you work for the military, the government or are on election duty and are posted outside your state; or you have been taken into custody as "preventive detention". EVMs expedite counting of votes, taking only a few hours for an entire constituency compared to weeks with paper ballots. This swift process minimizes tampering risks, enhancing electoral efficiency.For more information on EVM vs postal ballot, refer to this resource.

An EVM or Electronic Voting Machine is an electronic device for recording of votes. It consists of two units - a control unit and a balloting unit. Since 2010, the Election Commission has been phasing in a third unit called the VVPAT or the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. It allows voters to verify that their votes have been recorded correctly by printing a paper receipt.

The Election Commission's technical experts committee, along with Bharat Electronics Ltd and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd, designed the EVM. These machines have two parts: a control unit and a balloting unit connected by a cable. The control unit is with the election official, and the balloting unit is in the voting compartment. Instead of a paper ballot, the official releases a digital ballot, and voters cast their votes by pressing a button on the balloting unit for their chosen candidate.

The control unit can store the result in its memory until the data is deleted or cleared.

No, once a button on the balloting unit is pressed for a candidate, the vote is recorded, and the machine locks it. Pressing the button again or any other button won't record additional votes, ensuring the 'one man, one vote' principle. The next vote can only be cast when the presiding officer or polling officer releases the ballot by pressing the ballot button. This is a clear advantage over the ballot paper system.

According to the Election Commission, EVMs are secure and accurate. Despite occasional concerns over glitches, experts have said that EVMs are less susceptible to manipulation than traditional ballot boxes, making them vital for the large-scale and efficient conduct of elections in India.

Advantages of EVMs include eliminating 'invalid votes' that were common with paper ballots. EVMs provide a more accurate reflection of voters' choices. They also save significant costs by doing away with the requirement of millions of ballot papers. EVMs make the counting process much quicker, with results declared within 3 to 5 hours compared to the conventional 30-40 hours.How to cast your vote using EVM

EVMs do not require electricity to run. EVMs run on an ordinary battery assembled by Bharat Electronics Limited/Electronics Corporation of India Limited.

An EVM can record a maximum of 2,000 votes. In case of M2 EVMs (used during 2006-10), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates, including NOTA. There is provision for 16 candidates in a balloting unit. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, more balloting units can be attached (one per 16 candidates) up to a maximum of 64 candidates by connecting four balloting units. However, in case of M3 EVMs (used post 2013), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 384 candidates, including NOTA by connecting 24 balloting units.

If an EVM at a polling station malfunctions, it is replaced with a new one. Votes recorded until the EVM malfunction is safely stored in the control unit's memory. Polling can resume without starting over. On counting day, votes from both control units are tallied for the polling station's final result.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is a system linked with EVMs. It lets voters verify their votes by printing a slip with the candidate's details for 7 seconds, visible through a window. The slip is then cut and it falls into the sealed VVPAT drop box. VVPATs with EVMs were used for first time in a bye-election in the Noksen (ST) Assembly constituency of Nagaland.

Only the authorised engineers of the EVM manufacturers, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), perform the initial check of EVMs and VVPATs. This is done under the control of the District Election Officer, and under the supervision of deputy DEO and representatives of all political parties. The process is recorded on video.

When a voter presses the 'blue button' next to their chosen candidate, a red light appears on that candidate's symbol, and a long beep sound is heard. This gives the voter both a visual and audio confirmation that their vote has been recorded correctly. Additionally, the VVPAT produces a paper slip for the voter to visually verify that their vote has indeed been correctly registered for their chosen candidate.

Yes, there is a device called a 'Totalise' that can combine votes from up to 14 control units without showing the count for each candidate from a specific EVM at a polling station. Currently, this device is not in use because their technical aspects and related matters are under review, and there is also a court case ongoing over it.

For more details you can visit election commission official website i.e. https://www.eci.gov.in/

NOTA or "None of the above" is a voting option on EVMs that allows voters to reject every candidate in their constituency. It was introduced in October 2013 following a Supreme Court order. In the 2022 election, Bihar registered the highest NOTA votes at 2.48% followed by Gujarat at 1.8%. In the 2023 assembly polls to five states, Chhattisgarh recorded the maximum NOTA votes at 1.29 per cent.

According to the Election Commission, even if the number of voters choosing NOTA is higher than the number of votes polled by any of the candidates, the candidate who has the largest number of votes has to be declared winner.

The model code of conduct is a set of guidelines that candidates, political parties and governments must follow to keep elections fair. It is basically a set of dos and don'ts that regulates the conduct of political parties in the run-up to elections. These generally include restrictions on government announcements and freebies that can influence voters. The model code of conduct comes into effect as soon as the Election Commission announces poll dates.

During Lok Sabha election, the code applies nationwide. For state assembly elections, the code applies to the entire state. In bye-elections, if the constituency is part of the state capital, metropolitan cities, or municipal corporations, the code is applicable only to that area. Otherwise, for all other cases, the Model Code of Conduct is enforced across the entire district covering the constituency having the bye-election.

The model code of conduct does not have any statutory backing and thus is not admissible in the court of law. However, if violations fall under Representation of the People Act, 1951, they are punishable.

No. Any official who meets the minister on his private visit to the constituency shall be guilty of misconduct under the relevant service rules. If he happens to be an official mentioned in Section 129 (1) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, he shall also be additionally considered to have violated the statutory provisions of that section and liable for penal action.

As per the Model Code of Conduct, a minister cannot use an official government vehicle or maintenance allowance for election or campaigning purposes.

When MCC is in place, ministers cannot announce any financial grants or start any new projects. If a work has actually started in the field, that can be continued.

No. Fresh release of funds under MPs/MLAs/MLCs Local Area Development Fund of any scheme shall not be made in any area where election is in progress.

Bellwether seats are those that have historically voted for the winning party and give an indication of the poll outcome. Early trends on counting day in these seats often act as a surest indication of what the outcome will be.

In the 2019 election, BJP secured a majority on its own, winning 303 seats. The BJP bettered its performance five years ago when it won 282 seats in the 2014 polls. Altogether, NDA won 353 Lok Sabha seats, 17 more than it won in 2014.