As the world’s largest democracy holds elections, Road to the ballot box a look at what is at stake and the key players.

THE ELECTION IN NUMBERS KEY STATES & ELECTION PHASES VOTING SCHEDULE Seats: 80 Seats: 40 • • April • Ruling party: BJP, led by • Ruling party: BJP and • Seats: 25 (United), with 11 Phase 1 900 million • Ruling party: • Why it matters: ’s most Chief Minister Nitish • April 11 eligible voters , led by Chief populous state accounts for Kumar 12 Minister million the highest number of • Why it matters: The BJP • Why it matters: parliamentary seats among all is hoping to pick up as 13 91 2009 717 Indian states. It is a key many seats as possible in The party that wins state 14 parliamentary often battleground between the the heartland state seats 2014 814.5 goes on to win the national BJP and Congress and the in an alliance with regional 15 to be voted one too. The Congress Jammu & Kashmir regional alliance between the parties Janata Dal (United) 2019 900 party won the last state , Bahujan and . 16 election, held in December Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Mr Kumar’s habit of last year, giving it Dal. Prime Minister Narendra dumping alliance partners 17 momentum. A farm crisis Himachal Pradesh Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, remains a worry for the Phase 2 will play a major role. is in Uttar Pradesh, and so is BJP and others. 15 million teenage voters Chandigarh 18 • April 18 (18-19 years old) Mr Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi. Punjab 19 1.67% of the electorate Uttarakhand 20 97 Haryana Arunachal Pradesh • Seats: 29 21 Delhi • Ruling party: Congress, led by Chief Sikkim 22 Minister Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh 23 • Why it matters: The Assam Nagaland Bharatiya Meghalaya 24 Phase 3 (BJP) lost in recent Bihar • April 23 state elections even Manipur 25 300 million though the Hindi Facebook users and 200 million on heartland state Tripura 26 WhatsApp, prompting all political parties is a stronghold. Mizoram 115 to launch social media campaigns It remains to be Gujarat West Bengal 27 seen if Congress Madhya Pradesh can perform 28 as well in federal Chhattisgarh ASSAM elections. • Seats: 14 29 11 million Ruling party: The BJP, polling of cials to be deployed • 30 Daman & Diu led by Chief Minister Phase 4 to conduct the elections 1 • April 29 Maharashtra Why it matters: The Seats: 48 Dadra & • • Nagar north-eastern state has 2 • Ruling party: BJP, led Haveli seen unrest over illegal 2,293 by Chief Minister immigration from 3 71 political parties are Devendra Fadnavis Bangladesh, and the BJP registered, but not all • Why it matters: has sought to capitalise 4 participate in elections. Agrarian distress is a on this by identifying 5 In 2014, 464 parties took part key issue in this state, Goa aliens. However, it may pay which is perhaps the a price for its proposal to worst affected. The BJP open up citizenship to 6 The and right-wing partner Karnataka non-Muslim immigrants 7 Phase 5 hope to stave from neighbouring House of the People • May 6 off the challenge from a countries. 8 partnership between Congress and 9 Nationalist Congress Puducherry Andaman & 51 Nicobar Islands WEST BENGAL Party. Lakshadweep 10 Tamil Nadu • Seats: 42 • Ruling party: All India 11 Kerala Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata 12 KARNATAKA Banerjee 543 • Seats: 28 13 lawmakers to be elected • Why it matters: The Phase 6 to the Lower House of Parliament • Ruling party: state is a key battleground 14 • May 12 Congress and KERALA TAMIL NADU ANDHRA PRADESH for the BJP as it seeks to Janata Dal compensate for any losses 15 (Secular), led by • Seats: 20 • Seats: 39 • Seats: 25 in key strongholds such as Chief Minister H.D. • Ruling party: Left • Ruling party: • Ruling party: Uttar Pradesh and 16 59 Kumaraswamy Democratic Front, led by All India Anna Dravida Rajasthan. Ms Banerjee is 272 Chief Minister Pinarayi Munnetra Kazhagam (TDP), led by Chief a key opposition politician seats needed to take power at • Why it matters: 17 With the BJP facing Vijayan (AIADMK), led by Chief Minister N. and could be an important the Centre. In 2014, the Bharatiya Minister Edappadi K. Chandrababu Naidu ally for Congress. Janata Party won 282, the rst the risk of losing • Why it matters: The 18 seats in key BJP does not have any Palaniswami • Why it matters: time any single party took power 19 with an absolute majority in strongholds, states elected member in the • Why it matters: This A state where neither ODISHA like Karnataka Lower House of election is a key test for the BJP nor Congress 30 years. The Congress party • Seats: 21 20 Phase 7 won only 44 seats. could play an Parliament from this the AIADMK and are in a strong important role in state and is hoping to opposition Dravida position, Andhra • Ruling party: Biju Janata Dal, led • May 19 taking its tally past make inroads. A Munnetra Kazhagam Pradesh provides an by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik 21 the halfway mark. controversy over the (DMK) following the opportunity for smaller • Why it matters: The BJD has The BJP has a entry of women into the deaths of their long-time parties to make an been in power since 2000 and will 22 59 seek re-election in state elections strong presence in Sabarimala temple has leaders, Ms Jayalalithaa impact at the national 23 500b rupees the coastal region angered Hindus, which Jayaram and Mr M. level. that will be simultaneously held (S$9.8 billion) of the state, but a could bene t the BJP. Karunanidhi. The BJP has The TDP is in a direct with the general elections. The BJP May Vote The cost of holding elections, recent attempt to The 2018 oods and struck an alliance with the contest against the has emerged as the second-largest according to the -based topple the state political killings in Kerala AIADMK while the DMK YSR Congress, party here and could pose a counting Centre for Media Studies government failed. will also be key issues. has allied with Congress. another regional out t. signi cant challenge to the BJD. date

KEY PLAYERS Prime Minister Congress president Congress general BJP leader Nitin Telugu Desam All India Trinamool Dravida Munnetra , 68 Rahul Gandhi, 48 secretary in-charge Gadkari, 61 Party chief N. Congress chief chief , 63 Kazhagam chief • With humble roots as a • The scion of the of Eastern Uttar • The Minister of Chandrababu Naidu, , 64 • The leader of the Muthuvel Karunanidhi tea-seller, the leader of powerful Gandhi-Nehru Pradesh Priyanka Highways, Shipping and 68 • The Chief Minister of Bahujan Samaj Party is Stalin, 66 the Bharatiya Janata political dynasty in India Gandhi, 47 Water Resources, River • The Chief Minister of West Bengal is a ery a former chief minister of • The leader of the Party (BJP) has proven to recently received a boost • Mr Rahul Gandhi’s Development and Ganga Andhra Pradesh has orator who has Uttar Pradesh. Seen as a Dravida Munnetra be popular in an following his party’s win younger sister, she Rejuvenation is seen as a been trying to build dominated state politics. symbol of Kazhagam took over the aspirational India. His in polls in three states formally entered politics compromise prime Amaravati, the state’s She is seen as a crucial empowerment who has reins of the party last political rise began in his considered a stronghold in January to help the ministerial candidate new capital city, with opposition politician and also successfully courted year after the death of home state of Gujarat, of the BJP. His Congress party in the should the BJP have to Singapore’s help. Known is at the centre of efforts Muslims, she is not his father M. Karunanidhi, where, as chief minister, grandmother Indira general election. Though replace Mr Modi in order for building the city of to create an opposition contesting any seats in who dominated Tamil he made the state into an Gandhi, India’s rst politically untested, she is to form political into an IT alliance. She has given 41 this election, but is Nadu politics. Named economic powerhouse. woman prime minister, able to connect with the alliances. Recent stronghold in India, he per cent of the seats her seeking to help her after the Russian Hindu-Muslim riots in and his father Rajiv masses and is seen as comments by Mr Gadkari has been trying to unite party is contesting in anti-BJP alliance with strongman, he has 2002 failed to hold Gandhi, also a prime the Congress’ trump card have been perceived as opposition parties to West Bengal to women the Samajwadi Party formed an alliance with back his political minister, were both in these elections. critical of the top BJP form an anti-BJP candidates. oust the BJP in Uttar the Congress party to career. assassinated. leadership. alliance. Pradesh. contest the elections.

THE MAIN PARTIES

Bharatiya Janata Party Congress Bahujan Samaj Party Samajwadi Party Trinamool Congress All India Anna Dravida Dravida Munnetra • India’s ruling party thrives • The Congress party is • The party founded in 1984 • A left-of-centre party that • The socialist party was Munnetra Kazhagam Kazhagam on Hindu nationalism. Some socialist and secular in represents the Dalit describes itself as a formed in 1998 as an • The Tamil Nadu party was, • The Tamil Nadu regional of its core election planks orientation, but its sheen community, formerly known democratic socialist party, it alternative to the Congress till recently, led by the late party is steeped in include the protection of has been tarnished by as “untouchables”, and has has been a dominant force party in West Bengal, where lmstar-turned-politician Dravidian politics and draws cows – which are sacred to corruption scandals during Muslim support. It has in politics in Uttar Pradesh, it is in power. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram. It was on rationalism and socialism Hindus – and the building its last stint in government formed an election alliance but suffered a big defeat in Mamata Banerjee is a formed as a breakaway for its policies. The party of a temple on a disputed from 2004 to 2014. Its with the Samajwadi Party, the last election to the state frequent critic of Mr Modi, faction of the Dravida grew as a counter to the patch of land that was once election manifesto includes once its main rival, to try assembly. Its support base whose BJP has been trying Munnetra Kazhagam, and domination of upper caste occupied by a mosque a promise to provide a and wrest control from the consists of Yadavs, a to make inroads into the secured a huge win in the . before it was destroyed universal basic income to BJP in the state. powerful caste grouping, state. state in the last general in a riot. the poor. and Muslims. election.

PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG, EPA-EFE, REUTERS, KELVIN CHNG, INTERNET SOURCE: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS