India Conducts World's Largest Democratic Election

BANEJ, INDIA - MAY 07: Hindu priest Mahant Haridasji Udasin shows his finger marked with indelible ink after voting in a forest department building temporarily converted to a polling station on May 07, 2024 Banej, Gujarat, India. The Election Commission of India (ECI) set up a polling station with five polling officials and two security personnel deep inside the Gir National Park, the last natural stronghold of the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), to facilitate voting of a lone voter, a Hindu priest Mahant Haridasji Udasin. India's 2024 general election is set to be the world's largest democratic exercise, with over 969 million registered voters, more than the combined population of the EU, US, and Russia. The election process, lasting 82 days, will be held in seven phases, covering the entire country from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, with an estimated 15 million polling staff and security personnel. The election is expected to cost $14.4 billion, making it the world's most expensive, with political parties and candidates spending lavishly to woo voters. The Election Commission of India has deployed advanced technology, including electronic voting machines and a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, to ensure a secure and transparent voting process. (Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)