For the final results of all completed phases of the election, please see here.

At stake in this election:

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

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Atal Behari VAJPAYEE
• 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 an 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: National Democratic Alliance (NDA)*
  • Leader: Atal Bijari VAJPAYEE, George FERNANDES, Ramakrishna HEDGE
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 182
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 194
• Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
  • Leader: Sonia GANDHI
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 112
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 141
• Party: Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)
  • Leader: Harkishan Singh SURJEET
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 32
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 32
• Party: Telegu Desam Party (TDP)
  • Leader: N. Chandrababu NAIDU
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 29
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 11
• Party: Samajwadi Party (SP)
  • Leader: Mulayam Singh YADAV
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 26
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 20
• Party: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
  • Leader: Laloo Prasad YADAV
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 20
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 17
• Party: Shiv Sena
  • Leader: Bal THACKERAY
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 15
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 6
• Party: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
  • Leader: K. KARUNANIDHI
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 12
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 6
• Party: All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
  • Leader: JAYALALITHA
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 10
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 18

* The NDA is composed of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samata Party, and the Lok Shakti Party

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last elections to the Lok Sabha last were held on February 16 to March 7, 1998.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,034,976,626 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 605,880,192 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 498,925,038 (1999)

·         Is India a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (30 July 1980)

·         Has India ratified CEDAW: Yes (9 July 1993)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 49 (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 130 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is India a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has India ratified CRPD: Yes (1 October 2007)

·         Population with a disability: 155,246,493 (est.)