Indian polling officers ensure electors can vote in all corners of the country
Whether trudging through knee-deep snow in the Himalayas or astride camels in the deserts of Rajasthan, organisers will ensure no one misses out on a chance to vote in India's elections, the biggest in the world.
Whether trudging through knee-deep snow in the Himalayas or astride camels in the deserts of Rajasthan, organisers will ensure no one misses out on a chance to vote in India's elections, the biggest in the world.
The marathon begins today in six remote northeastern seats which are more than 2,000 kilometres from New Delhi. It wraps up six weeks later in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, home to the Taj Mahal and the holy city of Varanasi.
Some 814 million people are eligible to vote, 100 million more than last time around in 2009. That compares with an electorate of some 219 million in the United States, the world's second biggest democracy.
It would have been an insult to our voters if we had failed to reach them
By the time nominations close, there are expected to be around 15,000 candidates from 500 parties vying for 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, or lower house of parliament.
"The statistics are mindboggling," said chief election commissioner V. S. Sampath as he announced the dates of India's 16th general election last month.
"There are regional, religious, ethnic complexities as well as cultural and linguistic diversities, plus the geographic spread of the country."
There will be regional adaptations of the electronic ballot papers to incorporate each of India's 22 official languages.
While tens of thousands of people are expected to file through polling booths in mega cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, it's a different story altogether in other parts of the country.
