International

India's elections at a glance

Crunching the numbers on voters, cost, illegal campaign funds, the national parties and corruption.

India’s Election at a Glance
Dates
April 7 to May 12; results to be announced on May 16
814 million
Number of voters
100 million
Increase in number of voters since last elections in 2009
168 million
Number of first-time voters, roughly 20%
919,000
Number of polling stations
$5 billion
Projected cost of the election
About $116,000
Spending limit per candidate
$36 million
Illegal campaign funds seized to date
3
Number of national parties
36
Number of regional parties

National Parties
Aam Aadmi Party
  • Founded in 2012
  • Number of members: 10 million
  • Prime ministerial candidate: Arvind Kejriwal
  • Candidate’s reported assets: $390,000
  • Notable past leaders: None
  • Years ruling India’s central government: 0
  • Dominant presence in India: Delhi
  • Percentage of candidates with criminal cases against them: 15
  • Key position: anti-corruption
Bharatiya Janata Party
  • Founded in 1980
  • Number of members: 30 million
  • Prime ministerial candidate: Narendra Modi
  • Total reported assets of Modi: $250,000
  • Notable past leaders: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  • Years ruling India’s central government: 6 (1998-2004)
  • Dominant presence in India: urban middle class; Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
  • Percentage of BJP candidates with criminal cases against them: 48
  • Key position: business-friendly government
Indian National Congress Party
  • Founded in 1885
  • Number of members: not listed
  • Prime ministerial candidate: Rahul Gandhi
  • Total reported assets of Gandhi: $1.5 million
  • Notable past leaders: Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister of India
  • Years ruling India’s central government: 49
  • Dominant presence in India: rural areas; Kerala, Assam
  • Percentage of Congress candidates with criminal cases against them: 29
  • Key positions: poverty alleviation

Corruption in India at a glance
94
India's rank of 177 countries in the world in corruption (Transparency International)
36
Where India ranks on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being most corrupt (Transparency International). Regionally, India ranks below Sri Lanka and China but higher than Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
96%
Percentage of Indians who said corruption is holding country back (“The Economist,” March 15, 2014)
92%
Percentage of Indians who think corruption has worsened in the past five years (“The Economist,” March 15, 2014)

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