Festival of Democracy | 900 million Indians elect new parliament

The Largest Democratic Election in the World

In India, parliamentary elections, which lasted for almost six weeks, started on Thursday. 900 million people are eligible to vote and are invited to participate in the largest democratic election in the world. More than one million voting machines are deployed until 19 May, with 543 constituencies. Thousands of parties and candidates are approaching - not for nothing does Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak of a "festival of democracy".

The Prime Minister looks forward to good poll numbers. Recent tensions with the arch-enemy Pakistan have helped the 68-year-old domestic policy. But Modi also faces problems. The economy of the world's most populous democracy, with 1.3 billion inhabitants, is growing at a slower pace than hoped. In addition, Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have been accused of favoring Hindus - to the detriment of the country's many minorities.

Modi is challenged, among others, by two members of the Gandhi political dynasty: Rahul Gandhi of the opposition Congress party wants to become the new prime minister. He has done a lot to get rid of his image as a political lightweight. His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also in the running. She is the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. At the 2014 election, Modi's party clearly won. This time the race should be scarce. A result is expected on 23 May.

After defeats in three major regional elections in December, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP Party) suddenly seemed beatable. Then, on February 14, a suicide bomber in the Indian part of Kashmir killed 40 members of the Indian security forces. A Pakistani terrorist group claimed the attack for itself. This was followed by India's first air raid on Pakistani territory since 1971. The tensions between the warring, nuclear-armed neighboring countries had not aggravated in such a long time. Since then, Modi has been taking advantage of the patriotic zeal that the episode has released on many Indians.

However, Modi had promised to create ten million jobs a year five years ago. However, according to the latest figures from the state statistics office, unemployment is at its highest level in 45 years. Many young Indians who push for the job market find no job. The numbers came to light only through the media - the government did not publish them and called them incomplete.

There are seven phases to ensure there are enough security forces and campaign workers everywhere - on Thursday it went into 91 electoral districts in 18 states and two so-called Union territories.