Votes are being cast in 102 constituencies of 21 country states today in the first phase of the elections to the 543-member Parliament of India. In this phase, Tamil Nadu is the only central state in the south where polling will be completed in all 39 constituencies in this phase. More than 1625 candidates are contesting for 102 constituencies of the Indian Parliament, of which 135 are women candidates.

In this phase of parliamentary elections, votes are also being cast for assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. In this first phase of the Indian parliamentary elections, votes are being cast for five seats in Assam, four in Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, five in Maharashtra, 12 in Rajasthan, three in Bengal and eight in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats in the Parliament of India. 

In addition to these states, votes are also being cast for the seats of the smaller states of the North East, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and a constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. Elections for 543 seats of Parliament will be conducted in seven phases, and the last phase of voting will be held on June 1. 

Voters will be counted across the country on the 4th of June. These elections will decide who will be the country’s next Prime Minister. 

Millionaire Election Candidates of India 

About 450 of the candidates contesting this phase of Indian elections are millionaires. According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-governmental organization working for electoral transparency, 28 percent of the candidates in this election phase are millionaires, of whom at least ten have personal wealth Worth Rs.100 Crores or more. 

On the other hand, according to the same analysis, 90% of the candidates of the ruling party BJP are millionaires. The ruling BJP has 77 candidates contesting in the first phase, of which 69 are millionaires. The largest opposition party, Congress, is not far behind regarding millionaire candidates. Its 56 candidates are in the fray, of which 49 are millionaires. 

Consumption of wine, gold, and silver

The Election Commission of India has set a limit of Rs 1 crore for campaign expenses for a candidate to contest the parliamentary elections. However, according to ADR, elections have become very expensive, and candidates spend more than the prescribed amount on campaigning in various ways. 

While filing nomination papers in India, candidates must declare details of the value of their land, property, stocks, bank deposits, jewelry, etc. They also have to give details of criminal cases. This process enables voters to know their candidates well before casting their votes.

 Which are the critical states in Indian elections?

BJP leader and country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the BJP’s election campaign for a third term. The entire voting process in India is done through electronic machines. After voting, all the machines are kept in a government building, which is completely sealed under the supervision of the Magistrate and Election Officers. These machines will be taken to the counting center on the day of counting votes. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on the possibility of tampering with these machines, which has been dismissed.