For final results of all 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 A.P.J. Abdul KALAM *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Atal Bihari 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: India National Congress (INC)
  • Leader: Sonia GANDHI
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 145
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 114
• Party: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
  • Leader: Shri Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE; Shri M. Venkaiah NAIDU
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 138
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 182
• Party: Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI)
  • Leader: Dipankar BHATTACHARYA
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 43
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 33
• Party: Socialist Party (SP) / Samajwadi Party
  • Leader: Mulayam Singh YADAV
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 36
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 26
• Party: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
  • Leader: Shri Laloo Prasad YADAV
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 21
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 4
• Party: Majority Society Party / Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
  • Leader: MAYAWATI
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 19
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 14
• Party: Dravida Progressive Federation / Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
  • Leader: M. KARUNANIDHI
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 16
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 12
• Party: Shiva Sena / (SHS)
  • Leader: Bal THACKERAY
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 12
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 15
• Party: Communist Party of India (CPI)
  • Leader: Shri A.B. BARDHAN
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 10
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 4
• Party: People's Party-United / Janata Dal (JDU)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 8
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 21
• Party: Telugu Land Party / Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 5
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: 29
• Party: Others
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this People's Assembly election: 90
  • Seats won in last People's Assembly election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held in India on September 5 through October 3, 1999.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,126,419,321 (2004)
• Registered Voters: 671,487,930 (2004)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 542,673,946 (2004)

·         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: 45 (following the 2004 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: 168,962,898 (est.)