Election Profile:

Flag of India
  • Country: India
  • Official Name: Republic of India
  • Election Type: Parliamentary
  • Stage One: April 16, 2009
    Stage Two: April 23, 2009
    Stage Three: April 30, 2009
    Stage Four: May 7, 2009
    Stage Five: May 13, 2009
Source for election date

At stake in this election:

  • 543 seats in the People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: President Pratibha PATIL *
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH
  • Assembly: India has a bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consisting of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) with 250 seats and the People's Assembly (Lok Sabha) with 545 seats.

* The electoral college consists of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states.

Description of electoral system:

  • The President is elected by electoral college to serve a 5-year term.
  • In the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) 250 members are to serve 6-year terms*. In the People's Assembly (Lok Sabha), 543 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms and 2 members are appointed by the president.

* Up to 12 seats are appointed by the president and the remaining members are chosen by elected members of the state and territorial assemblies

Main parties in the electoral race:

  • Party: India National Congress (INC)
    Leader: Sonia GANDHI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 145
  • Party: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    Leader: Rajnath SINGH
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 138
  • Party: Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPIM)***
    Leader: Prakash KARAT
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 43
  • Party: Socialist Party (SP) / Samajwadi Party
    Leader: Mulayam Singh YADAV
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 36
  • Party: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
    Leader: Laloo Prasad YADAV
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 21
  • Party: Majority Society Party / Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
    Leader: Mayawati KUMARI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 19
  • Party: Dravida Progressive Federation / Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
    Leader: M. KARUNANIDHI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 16
  • Party: Shiva Sena / (SS)
    Leader: Bal THACKERAY
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 12
  • Party: Communist Party of India (CPI)
    Leader: Shri A.B. BARDHAN
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 10
  • Party: Telugu Land Party / Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
    Leader: N. Chandrababu NAIDU
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 5
  • Party: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)
    Leader: K MANI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 6
  • Party: Telangana Rashtra Samithi / (TRS)
    Leader: K. Chandrashekar RAO
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 5
  • Party: Jharkhand Liberation Front (JMM) / Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
    Leader: Shibu SOREN
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 5
  • Party: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)
    Leader: V. GOPALSAMY
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 4
  • Party: Biju Janata Dal (BJD)
    Leader: Naveen PATNAIK
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 11
  • Party: Akali Religous Party (SAD) / Shiromani Akali Dal
    Leader: Parkash Singh BADAL
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 8
  • Party: Janata Dal - United (JDU)
    Leader: N/A
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 8
  • Party: Bahujan Samaj Party
    Leader: Mayawati KUMARI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 19
  • Party: Lok Jan Shakti Party
    Leader: Ram Vilas PASWAN
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 4
  • Party: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
    Leader: Sharad PAWAR
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 9
  • Party: Janata Dal - Secular / (JD(S))
    Leader: H.D. Deve GOWDA
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 19
  • Party: All India Forward Bloc
    Leader: D.D. SHASTRI
    Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 0

*** The Communist Party of India - Marxist formed a Third Front alliance with the Communist Party of India, The Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, the Forward Bloc, Janata Dal (Secular), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, and the Telugu Desam Party.

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 1,147,995,904 (July 2008 est.)
  • Registered Voters: N/A

Last Updated on 08/29/2008