India's General Election to Stretch over 44 Days
2024-03-22
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1India will begin the world's largest general election next month.
2The process is expected to stretch over 44 days before results are announced on June 4.
3Nearly 970 million Indians - more than 10 percent of the world population - will be eligible to take part.
4The voting process will choose 543 lawmakers to India's lower house of Parliament.
5Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in office.
6He will face off against an alliance of opposition parties struggling to unseat him.
7Most public opinion studies predict Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party will win.
8Here are some of the main facts to know about the election.
9There are two main reasons the election will stretch on so long.
10One is that India is the world's most populous country.
11The other reason, experts say, is because it will be a huge logistical effort to make sure that every registered voter can take part in the process.
12The voting process will take place over seven parts, or stages.
13The country's 28 states and eight federal territories will vote at different times.
14Each stage will last one day, with the first held on April 19 and the last held on June 1.
15Voters in some states will cast their ballots over a day, while in other places it may take longer.
16Uttar Pradesh, the largest state with 200 million people, will vote over a period of seven days, for example.
17During the election, voting stations will be set up in remote places.
18This will include a wildlife refuge in southern Kerala state and another in a shipping container in western Gujarat state.
19Experts say one main reason for the multi-stage election is to improve security.
20Tens of thousands of federal security forces will be deployed during the voting.
21The guards, including those who usually guard borders, will be sent along with state police to prevent violence and to transport electoral officials and voting machines.
22Deadly clashes involving supporters of competing political parties harmed past elections.
23But such violence has eased over the years, thanks to heavy security.
24The Indian government's elections chief, Rajiv Kumar, said recently, "Look at the geography of the country ... there are rivers, mountains, snow, jungles ... think of the security forces' movements. They will have to travel through the length and breadth of the country."
25Kumar added, "We will walk the extra mile so voters don't have to."
26I'm Bryan Lynn.
1India will begin the world's largest general election next month. 2The process is expected to stretch over 44 days before results are announced on June 4. Nearly 970 million Indians - more than 10 percent of the world population - will be eligible to take part. 3The voting process will choose 543 lawmakers to India's lower house of Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in office. He will face off against an alliance of opposition parties struggling to unseat him. Most public opinion studies predict Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party will win. 4Here are some of the main facts to know about the election. 5Why will the election take so long? 6There are two main reasons the election will stretch on so long. One is that India is the world's most populous country. The other reason, experts say, is because it will be a huge logistical effort to make sure that every registered voter can take part in the process. 7The voting process will take place over seven parts, or stages. The country's 28 states and eight federal territories will vote at different times. Each stage will last one day, with the first held on April 19 and the last held on June 1. 8Voters in some states will cast their ballots over a day, while in other places it may take longer. Uttar Pradesh, the largest state with 200 million people, will vote over a period of seven days, for example. 9During the election, voting stations will be set up in remote places. This will include a wildlife refuge in southern Kerala state and another in a shipping container in western Gujarat state. 10How is security a concern? 11Experts say one main reason for the multi-stage election is to improve security. 12Tens of thousands of federal security forces will be deployed during the voting. The guards, including those who usually guard borders, will be sent along with state police to prevent violence and to transport electoral officials and voting machines. 13Deadly clashes involving supporters of competing political parties harmed past elections. But such violence has eased over the years, thanks to heavy security. 14The Indian government's elections chief, Rajiv Kumar, said recently, "Look at the geography of the country ... there are rivers, mountains, snow, jungles ... think of the security forces' movements. They will have to travel through the length and breadth of the country." 15Kumar added, "We will walk the extra mile so voters don't have to." 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 18__________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20eligible - adj. able to take part in something 21logistics - n. the practical arrangements for something 22remote - adj. extremely isolated 23walk the extra mile - (phr) going above and beyond what is expected