2014 Indian general election

Indian general election, 2014

7 April - 12 May 2014
All 543 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority
File:RG2.jpg Leader Rahul Gandhi (Head of election campaign, no PM candidate announced) Narendra Modi (PM candidate) Party INC BJP Alliance UPA NDA Leader's seat Amethi TBD Last election 262 seats, 37.22% 137 seats, 24.63% Current seats 228 137 Seats needed 44 135
Incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh INC

The general election will be held in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha in India. Voting will take place in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India to elect Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

The result of this election will be declared on 16 May 2014, well before the current 15th Lok Sabha completes its constitutional term on 31 May 2014.

With an electorate of 814.5 million (larger than the electorate of the European Union and United States combined), this election will be the largest democratic election in the world to date. This also will be the longest and the costliest general election in the history of the country, The Election Commission has estimated that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections will cost the exchequer Rs 3,500 crore. This figure does not include the expenses incurred for security and the amount political parties will spend.

Background

By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held at most every five years or whenever parliament is dissolved by the president. The previous election, to the 15th Lok Sabha, was conducted in April–May 2009, and its term will naturally expire on 31 May 2014. The election will be organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and are normally held in multiple phases, to better handle the large electoral base and security concerns.

Since the last general election, the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, and other similar moves by Baba Ramdev, have gathered momentum and political interest. The BJP has also made inroads by winning the Vidhan Sabha in the Goa election and winning despite a tradition of anti-incumbency in Punjab. However, it lost governing in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and its southern bastion of Karnataka to the INC. It also failed in its having its nominated candidate with the 2012 presidential election, particularly because allies such as the Shiv Sena and Janta Dal (United) failed to follow coalition lines. Similarly, the Telangana movement for a separate Telengana from Andhra Pradesh also continued with agitations, including the initial central government decision to grant statehood and then rescind it after counter-protests. The move was accompanied by calls for other separate areas including Vidharba and Gorkhaland. Andhra politics was further shaken following death of its chief minister, Y. S. R. Reddy. His son, Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, then broke from the INC and founded the YSR Congress taking several politicians with him.

On 8 December 2013, four legislative assembly elections resulted in victories or pluralities for the BJP in all provinces. The BJP won Rajasthan from the INC, it won a plurality in the INC bastion of Delhi (where there was a hung assembly) and held on to Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. The BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was generally credited in the media for the result. However, in Madhya Pradesh the party's national vice-president and MP Prabhat Jha said of the Muslim vote: "Definitely they voted for us. More than 70% of the Muslim voters backed BJP’s programmes and policies." Indore's Qazi Abdul Rehman Farooqui suggested that it was Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that ensured the result was an even bigger BJP majority saying that "had Modi not been projected as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Chouhan would have got more votes." The BJP's Arun Jaitley suggested the INC-led UPA government was now a lame duck.

Organisation

Map of Lok Sabha election dates by region

Use of technology

In January 2013, the Election Commission of India announced that it would be using an SMS based alert system called Communication Plan for Election (COMET) during the election. The system, aimed at sending messages to the lakhs of government officials on election duty, was successfully deployed in the provincial assembly elections in Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur in early 2012 and in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat in late 2012.

The COMET system "uses coded text messages through mobile phones to collect data about officials, information about scheduled events like staff reaching the polling station, mock polls conducted, start of polling, voting percentages every two hours, number of voters in after voting time was over, and whether the poll party reached safely at the high security Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) deposit centre." The system would also send alerts to the local police in case of disturbances at any polling station.

Dates

The election will be held over multiple phases during the months April and May. The final session of parliament started on 6 February and ended on 21 February. Amongst the agenda in the final session is passing the The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013 in tackling corruption and the creation of Telegana. Electoral Commissioner V. S. Sampath said that Tamil Nadu could vote in one phase, while also considering DMK's proposal to transfer Tamil Nadu Deputy General of Police K. Ramanujam, who is serving as extended terms after his superannuation in order to ensure a free and fair election. Simulataneously, elections will be held for the Vidhan Sabhas in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.

The Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC), V. S. Sampath announced polling schedule on 5 March with voting to be held in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May. The result will then be announced on 16 May.

Schedule

Region	Total constituencies	Election Dates & Number of constituencies
		Phase 1 April 07, 2014	Phase 2 April 09, 2014	Phase 3 April 10, 2014	Phase 4 April 12, 2014	Phase 5 April 17, 2014	Phase 6 April 24, 2014	Phase 7 April 30, 2014	Phase 8 May 07, 2014	Phase 9 May 12, 2014
Andhra Pradesh	42	-	-	-	-	-	-	17	25	-
Arunachal Pradesh	2	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Assam	14	5	-	-	3	-	6	-	-	-
Bihar	40	-	-	6	-	7	7	7	7	6
Chhattisgarh	11	-	-	1	-	3	7	-	-	-
Goa	2	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-
Gujarat	26	-	-	-	-	-	-	26	-	-
Haryana	10	-	-	10	-	-	-	-	-	-
Himachal Pradesh	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	-
Jammu & Kashmir	6	-	-	1	-	1	1	1	2	-
Jharkhand	14	-	-	4	-	6	4	-	-	-
Karnataka	28	-	-	-	-	28	-	-	-	-
Kerala	20	-	-	20	-	-	-	-	-	-
Madhya Pradesh	29	-	-	9	-	10	10	-	-	-
Maharashtra	48	-	-	10	-	19	19	-	-	-
Manipur	2	-	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Meghalaya	2	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mizoram	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Nagaland	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Odisha	21	-	-	10	-	11	-	-	-	-
Punjab	13	-	-	-	-	-	-	13	-	-
Rajasthan	25	-	-	-	-	20	5	-	-	-
Sikkim	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Tamil Nadu	39	-	-	-	-	-	39	-	-	-
Tripura	2	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Uttar Pradesh	80	-	-	10	-	11	12	14	15	18
Uttarakhand	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	-
West Bengal	42	-	-	-	-	4	6	9	6	17
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Chandigarh	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Daman and Diu	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Lakshadweep	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
National Capital Territory of Delhi	7	-	-	7	-	-	-	-	-	-
Puducherry	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
Constituencies contested	543	6	7	91	7	121	117	89	64	41

Campaign

The price of onions, a staple in Indian cuisine, also faces a dramatic price increase. In the lead up to the election, consumer price inflation increased more than expected while, paradoxically, industrial production fell by more than expected causing a dilemma amid slowing growth.

From 7–9 January, the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (Indians living abroad) was held in Delhi with political parties seen to woo the diasporic communities.

Issues

On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution for the creation of Telangana. It formally requested the INC-led central government to make steps in accordance with the constitution of India for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the re-creation of Telengana. This was seen as an attempt by the INC to merge the Telangana Rashtra Samiti into itself for the general and provincial election after being marginalised in the Rayalseema and coastal regions by the YSR Congress. All-India Congress Committee general secretary for Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh said that TRS leader K. Chandrashekhar Rao had "repeatedly said that once Telangana was announced, he would merge his party with the Congress. We will await his decision and will be favourably inclined to accept the offer of a merger." TRS welcomed the decision, with Rao saying that his party was fine with Hyderabad being the joint capital for 10 years; Ongole was then suggested as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. YSR Congress party leader Jaganmohan Reddy said that he opposed the decision and would agitate against it, as all its MLAs resigned over the issue. However, former party member Konda Surekha attacked the party and its leader saying that he had backtracked on plenary party meeting supporting the issue. Andhra Pradesh BJP president G. Kishan Reddy gave credit for the move to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in saying that the INC took active interest in the issue after Modi had announced a tour to Hyderabad for 11 August. The BJP national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar suggested that the INC move was under pressure and "that's why we will watch carefully and see whether the intention again to backstab or to really give Telangana, and will watch till Telangana is formed." He added that the BJP supports the creation of "Telangana and Vidarbha’s demand. [The] announcement is the victory of the people of Telangana. BJP has always been in favour of Telangana. Congress promised it in 2004 but dilly-dallied for nine years. It has been a story of the struggle of the people of Telangana and nine years of betrayal by the Congress. The NDA’s agenda in 1999 promised creation of three states, and it was honoured. The Congress, in contrast, made a promise in 2004 but betrayed people for nine years." BJP national President Rajnath Singh re-iterated support and added, in regards to requests for the creation of Gorkhaland and Bodoland, "We were in favour of the Second States Reorganisation Commission earlier too. We now demand that the government should set it up and seek a report within a specific timeframe. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha also reacted in announcing an indefinite strike in calling for Gorkhaland. Meanwhile, the national Home Ministry said that due to the lack of development in the proposed areas and the proximity to other hotbeds in Chhattishgarh's Bastar and Maharashtra's Gadchiroli regions it could turn into a hotbed for the activities of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) if the administration is not quickly consolidated. In February, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned over the proposal to partition the region. He would launch the Samaikyandhra party on 2 March. Three of his cabinet colleagues - Erasu Pratap Reddy, T. G. Venkatesh and Ganta Srinivasa Rao - were set to join the Telugu Desam Party. Further, Satrucharla Vijaya Rama Raju quit the INC and was considering a similar move.

Bloomberg also highlighted India's slowing economy amidst a record high current account deficit and a falling rupee in summer 2013. It pointed out to a lack of infrastructure investment and a government increasingly likely to give subsidies the national finances cannot afford just before the election. Other points it mentioned were stagnant policymaking and an inefficient bureaucracy. The economy was the main issue in the campaign. The lack of a clear mandate as a result of the election could lead to an increase in the price of gold in the country.

National Democratic Alliance

Bharatiya Janata Party

File:Narendra Modi in BJP National Executive Meet in Goa.jpg

Modi and other BJP leaders after the party's National Executive Meet. Modi was named the chairman of Central Election Campaign Committee during this meet.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was chosen to lead the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign after a party conclave in Goa. This came amid controversy Lal Krishna Advani opposed the decision and resigned from his party posts, only to later rescind his resignation. Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj were part of Team 2014, under Modi's leadership, for the campaign. Rajnath Singh, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani would be the mentors for the BJP's campaign. A 12-member committee, which will be chaired by Modi, was appointed at the Goa conclave and will have other BJP stalwarts on its committee: M. Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Twenty sub-committees will assist the main committee with focus on such aspects of electioneering, including rallies, publicity, manifesto, social media, courting first time voters, "crowd sourcing" and a "charge-sheet" against the UPA. BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar said: "All the sub-committees will be steered under the leadership of Narendra Modi...The party has given Modi the responsibility of 2014 elections...Under his leadership the whole campaign will move forward." Gadkari was also tasked with paying "special attention" to Delhi for its forthcoming provincial assembly election; he will be assisted by Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The sub-committees will be composed of the following:

The manifesto committee will be led by Murli Manohar Joshi and will also feature Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh, MP Yashwant Sinha, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Sushil Kumar Modi, Shahnawaz Hussain and others. A vision document, to be released with the manifesto to show what the NDA has achieved, will be prepared by Gadkari and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.

The publicity management with be led by Swaraj and MP Arun Jaitley with the aid of general secretary Amit Shah and Sudanshu Trivedi. The first time voters, about 20 percent of the electorate, will be managed for the party by Shah, Sidhu and two others. The programme to reach out to professionals will be organised by Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Prakash Javadekar and others. Crowd sourcing will be managed by Dharmendra Pradhan and Rameshwar Chaurasia. Other sub-committees include a team for traditional campaigns composed of Smriti Irani and two others.

Managing the "charge-sheet" against the "misrule" of the UPA in the central government and the provinces, would be Deputy Leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, his Rajya Sabha counterpart MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and four others.
Others that will be supporting the campaign — many of whom are members of the Sangh Parivar - will be organised into the campaign by a team led by Gadkari and including Uma Bharati and five others. From August 2013, the party would organise over 100 rallies and will be planned and executed by Ananth Kumar and general secretary Varun Gandhi.

BJP's Mumbai leader, Ashish Shelar, was said to have kicked of campaign advertisements in the city with Modi's remarks in a summer 2013 interview with Reuters in which he said "I am a Hindu Nationalist." Singh said from the U.S.A.: "It's not necessary that party president should also be a crowd puller and a prime ministerial candidate. I have an assignment to do for my party. I have a job to deliver – that is victory of the party in the 2014 elections. Seven months before the elections, I have nominated Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman of the party's Election Campaign Committee. What is unusual in that? We have nominated Modi like other parties do and why read between lines. I have named him as campaign head in view of his image, popularity and commitment to the party." He added that more coalition partners would come in as development would be the key issue and not Ram Janmabhoomi.

In the last weekend in September, Modi spoke to a rally of more than 200,000 people in New Delhi at a Japanese Park rally (unusual for a non-INC rally) following a rally of 500,000 in Bhopal. His slogan was "Badlo Dilli" (Change Delhi) in reference to the national election and the Delhi provincial assembly election. He also controversially referred to the INC's Rahul Gandhi as "Shahzada" saying: "The issue is whether the country will run as per the constitution or as per the whims of Shahzada. This is conflict between dynasty and democracy." His speech included four parts: Targeting Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's three terms in office as a mere ceremonial role and that her role in the 2010 Commonwealth Games squandered a chance to bring honour to the country due to the corruption scandals; he then focused on the "cult of corruption" and that the UPA's affection for Mohandas Gandhi was reduced only to collecting big currency notes that bear his photo; thirdly, he focused on corruption, misgovernance and the subsequent policy paralysis of the UPA government; and lastly, he focused on individuals gre in the democratic setup of the BJP as opposed the dynastic role of the INC. With his development credentials in Gujarat, he referenced the rise of the Gujarati middle class of six crores was turned to how Indians can develop with the rise of 1.25 billion people. The business community was in favour of Modi becoming prime minister. Modi told a rally in U.P. on 6 February: "People have already decided the outcome of the election. Congress-free India will be a reality." The director of the opinion pollign agency CSDS, Sanjay Kumar, suggested: "Three to four months back, people were saying this would be a presidential-style race between Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Now things have changed, now it's not a presidential race - it is a referendum on Modi."

Modi and shadow finance minister Arun Jaitley hosted a meeting of liberal-leaning economists, business leaders, bankers and investors in discussions of how to raise growth and, according to the British-based Economist, spelled out its economic policies. Also following reports of a favourable opinion poll, deputy party leader in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "I’ve rarely before seen this profound yearning for change" and the UPA's poor leadership led to the current economic "disaster." Incumbent INC Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram retorted that what Modi knows about economics "can be written on the back of a postage stamp."

Lok Janshakti Party

Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan announced on 30 January that the RJD, LJP and INC would jointly run for office from Bihar's constituencies. "Now the talks among the three parties are only about the number of seats each of us will contest." Paswan then announced on 27 February that he was instead joining the NDA. LJP would contest for seats alone with the BJP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party with 30 seats for BJP, three seats for RLSP and seven seats for LJP.

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam

DMDK, led by Tamil film actor Vijayakanth, joined the NDA in February. They will contest for seats from Tamil Nadu with the BJP, MDMK and PMK.

Shiv Sena, Swabhimani Shetkari Saghtana and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha

The Swabhimani Shetkari Saghtana (SSS) joined the Shiv Sena-BJP-Republican Party of India (Athvale) alliance in February. The SSS, which represents the interests of farmers in western Maharashtra was offered two seats — Madha in Solapur, where NCP leader Sharad Pawar sits, and Hathkanangale, the seat of SSS leader Raju Shetti Shetti had also sought Baramati but this was rejected by the Shiv Sena and BJP, who decided to leave a seat each from their quotas of 22 and 26 to accommodate SSS. Rashtriya Samaj Paksha also joined the alliance in January.

United Progressive Alliance

In March, the INC, RJD and NCP announced that they would jointly contest the Bihar constituencies. The INC would seek 12 seats, the NCP 1 seat and the RJD, as the regional party, would seek the other 27 seats.

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress had announced, on the fourth anniversary of the second United Progressive Alliance government, that its campaign for the election would be led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, INC chairperson Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said: "The government and the party have decided while Singh is the PM and Sonia is the Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi has energised the party cadre. So the 2014 elections would be fought under the leadership of the triumvirate." Sonia Gandhi appointed her son Rahul to head a six-member committee to formulate and implement alliances, the party manifesto and general publicity for the election.

In response to sagging opinion poll numbers for the general election, the INC sought to fast-track a decision on separating Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, create a coalition government with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Jharkhand, sought to take sole credit for the Food Security Bill and table a controversial landholding farmer-friendly Land Acquisition Bill.

Rahul Gandhi criticised a UPA government ordinance that would allow convicted politicians to contest elections. "I tell you what my opinion on the ordinance is: That it is complete nonsense. It should be torn up and thrown away. That's my opinion. The arguments that are being made in my organisation is that we need to do this because of political considerations. Everybody does this." Following the presence of Gandhi's sister, Priyanka Gandhi, at a party meeting speculation arose as to her participation in the election. The party's Janardhan Dwivedi reacted in saying that she was merely a member of a political family and was taking care of Rahul Gandhi's Amethi and her mother Sonia Gandhi's Rae Bareli constituencies. The BJP's spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi said that her presence in the election would not affect the INC's chances.

Incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he would not return to his role should the INC get a majority or plurality. Less than a week prior to the All-India Congress Committee meeting on 17 January, which is expected to name Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that he would be "happy" to see Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar as prime minister. Gandhi told Dainik Bhaskar that he was "ready to take charge" of any responsibility the party gave him and he added that: "My focus for India is a long term vision, where all Indians are treated with equality, respect and are given equal opportunities." At the party meeting it was decided not to name a prime ministerial candidate amid fears it would turn the election into a presidential one. This was criticised by the BJP. Gandhi would instead lead the party's campaign. He also called the election a turning point. Sonia Gandhi then said the party will face upcoming challenges and the election with a "lot of determination;" she added that the election would be a battle for India. "Divisive forces are stretching social fabric to breaking point. Opposition's way is to spread disharmony. There's a face hidden behind the mask of compassion."

In January, in an interview with Arnab Goswami, Gandhi admitted that some Congress members may have been involved in the 1984 riots and further stated that Modi's government was responsible for pushing the 2002 riots while the Congress government in 1984 tried to stop the anti Sikh riots. Fellow UPA member, Praful Patel said that the 2002 matter should be put to rest. As Gandhi was reported to have sought an early declaration of the party's candidates, the INC was scheduled to hold its first meeting of the central election committee on 13 February in order to finalise all their candidates by the end of the month. Similarly, the screening committees for several unnamed part of the country had already occurred so as to shortlist the candidates. INC announced list of 194 candidates on 8 March 2014. It included 35% of candidates below age of 50 years.

Rashtriya Janata Dal

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav said of the BJP's ruling chances that "Modi and Advani can never become the prime minister in their lifetime. Secular forces in this country would never allow the saffron outfit to come to power." In relation to the INC's Rahul Gandhi he said that Gandhi wants to bring change to the country; he added in relation to Digvijay Singh that he was a "good man."

Third Front

Fourteen political parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc, AIADMK, JD(U), SP, BJD, NCP, JD(S), Naga People's Front, Sikkim Democratic Front, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and RPI (Prakash Ambedkar) participated in a convention of the parties not in alliance with the NDA nor UPA, which was held on 30 October 2013. On 5 February 11 parties announced that they would work as one bloc on a "common agenda" in parliament. These included the CPIM, CPI, RSP, AIFB, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), AIADMK, Asom Gana Parishad, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, JD(S) and Biju Janata Dal. However AGP and BJD were still in the preparatory talks stage as they were in discussions with the BJP to re-join the NDA. A consensus on a prime ministerial candidate, however, was not achieved.

Other

Aam Aadmi Party

Following a surprise showing in the 2013 Delhi election, the Aam Aadmi Party was said to be considering participating in the general election. The party's leader Arvind Kejriwal announced that his party would contest all 26 Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat. The party's Prashant Bhushan said that the party would "press for decentralisation of powers and participation of the people in policy making at the central level" and that fundamental changes would be sought in the police and bureaucratic system to increase accountability. Party spokesman Manish Sisodia said: "We have launched a drive called 'Mission Buniyad' to recruit at least 10 members in every district of Gujarat. This process will be over by the month end. Despite the order from the Supreme Court, the Gujarat government is not issuing notification for the appointment of new Lokayukta. The present Lokayukta law of Gujarat is very weak and does not help in controlling corruption in the state. In the near future we will fight for a strong Lokayukta in the state like we are fighting for a strong Jan Lokpal at the centre." [sic] The party's Madhya Pradesh Secretary Akshay Hunka added: "We will definitely contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh and will be in a position to decide the number of seats we will be contesting in nearly a month’s time.". On 4 January 2014, Kejriwal was reported to have said he would not contest for a seat. In January, infighting within the AAP led to Delhi MLA Vinod Binny getting expelled. The party's Tamil Nadu unit reportedly split even before it was launched.

Days after Kejriwal resigned as the chief minister of Delhi in mid-February, the AAP announced its first 20 candidates. It would also contest 350 of the 543 seats in the election. After the resignation, due to opposition to passing the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, media reports indicated an increase in financing for the party's electoral campaign. The Christian Science Monitor asked if the resignation would be a "game-changer" for the election.

Janata Dal (United)

The media speculated that Modi still have a chance of gaining in Bihar at the expense of Kumar's party. During the coalition, Modi was not allowed to speak at rallies in the party by mutual understanding and was only allowed for special events such as a funeral or party conclave, even Modi's flood relief aid to Bihar was termed communal. His popularity was seen as a test case in Bihar and if the BJP could increase its tally or the JDU could; it even speculated if Lalu Prasad Yadav could make a comeback after the 2010 provincial election if he is not convicted over the fodder scam. It also suggested that this would be an eager race as it could determine if Kumar's decision was prudent and if he has any national political scope left; while for Modi it would give crucial seats to the BJP and be able to attract potential allies as Bihar is largely based on caste politics. In January, Kumar referred to Gandhi's stand on corruption after a meeting between Gandhi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was convicted in a fodder scam and out on bail. He termed their alliance as "natural" and stated that them coming together was no surprise.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced that they will contest the polls and declared the first list of seven candidates. Six of them will contest against candidates of Shiv Sena who has alliance of BJP. They also supported BJP leader Narendra Modi's PM candidature.

Opinion polls

Projection of seats

Conducted in Month(s)	Ref	Polling Organisation/Agency	Sample size	bgcolor=Template:United Progressive Alliance/meta/color |	bgcolor=Template:National Democratic Alliance (India)/meta/color |
				UPA	NDA	Left	Other
Jan–Mar 2013		Times Now-CVoter	No sample size provided	128	184	-	-
Apr–May 2013		Headlines Today-CVoter	120,000	132 (without Modi) 155(with Modi)	179(without Modi) 220 (with Modi)	-	-
May 2013		ABP News-Nielsen	33,408	136	206	-	-
Jul 2013		The Week - Hansa Research	No sample size provided	184	197	-	162
Jul 2013		CNN-IBN and The Hindu by CSDS	19,062	149–157	172–180	-	208–224
Jul 2013		Times Now-India Today-CVoter	36,914	134 (INC 119)	156 (BJP 131)	-	-
Aug–Oct 2013		Times Now-India TV-CVoter	24,284	117 (INC 102)	186 (BJP 162)	-	240
Dec 2013–Jan 2014		India Today-CVoter	21,792	103 (INC 91)	212 (BJP 188)	-	228
Dec 2013–Jan 2014		ABP News-Nielsen	64,006	101 (INC 81)	226 (BJP 210)	30	186
Jan 2014		CNN-IBN-Lokniti-CSDS	18,591	107–127 (INC 92–108)	211–231 (BJP 192–210)	15–23	182–190
Jan–Feb 2014		Times Now-India TV-CVoter	14,000	101 (INC 89)	227 (BJP 202)	-	215
Feb 2014		ABP News-Nielsen	29,000	92	236	29	186
Feb 2014		CNN-IBN-Lokniti-CSDS	29,000	119–139 (INC 94 - 110)	212–232 (BJP 193–213)	-	105–193

Votes share

Conducted in Month(s)	Ref	Polling Organisation/Agency	Sample size	bgcolor=Template:United Progressive Alliance/meta/color |	bgcolor=Template:National Democratic Alliance (India)/meta/color |
				UPA	NDA	Left	Other
Dec 2013–Jan 2014		India Today-CVoter	21,792	23%	34%	-	43%
Dec 2013–Jan 2014		ABP News-Nielsen	64,006	23%	31%	5%	41%
Jan 2014		CNN-IBN-Lokniti-CSDS	18,591	28% (INC 27%)	36% (BJP 34%)	4%	32%
Feb 2014		ABP News-Nielsen	29,000	24%	31%	5%	40%

Other

A survey of first time voters suggested Modi was the most popular prime ministerial candidate and Mamata Banerjee was the most popular outside the BJP or INC. Latest survey by CNN-IBN-Lokniti predicts the decline (by 5%) in popularity of Narendra Modi as PM candidate.

The eight largest metropolises in India are considered important because they constitute 31 seats, larger than some regions altogether. In the previous election, the INC-led UPA won 24 of these seats, but the UPA is trailing in these areas.

Controversy

As in the previous election, the international showpiece Twenty20 cricket event, the Indian Premier League's 2014 event was denied the security it demanded by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and could, thus, be played outside India, despite being a domestic tournament. After the announcement of the dates for the election, IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal stated that 60-70 percent of the tournament would be held in India.

Just prior to a scheduled rally of Narendra Modi in Patna in October 2013, eight bombs exploded causing five deaths.

In the run-up to the election the media in India have been criticised for its establishment ties between family owners and political parties. This has caused self-censorship and editorial dismissals at certain media outlets, such as The Hindu for its ties to the INC.

External links

• Election Commission of India website