Explore India's Democracy
Discover the geography, terminology, and your constitutional rights that form the bedrock of the world's largest democratic exercise.
Click a state to view election data
Click on any state in the map to view its election data, Lok Sabha seats, voter turnout, and current government.
Election Glossary
EVM? MCC? VVPAT? Decode the jargon of Indian elections.
EVM
Electronic Voting Machine
A device used for recording votes electronically. Used in India since 1982 and exclusively since 2004.
VVPAT
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
A machine attached to EVM that prints a paper slip showing the candidate's name and symbol, visible for 7 seconds.
NOTA
None Of The Above
An option on the EVM allowing voters to reject all candidates. Introduced in 2013.
MCC
Model Code of Conduct
Guidelines governing behavior of parties and candidates during elections. Enforced by the ECI.
ECI
Election Commission of India
The constitutional body responsible for conducting elections in India. Established on January 25, 1950.
CEC
Chief Election Commissioner
The head of the Election Commission. Can only be removed by Parliament through impeachment.
ERO
Electoral Registration Officer
The officer responsible for preparing and maintaining the electoral roll of a constituency.
BLO
Booth Level Officer
A local government official assigned to each polling booth for voter registration and verification.
RO
Returning Officer
The officer responsible for conducting elections in a constituency and declaring results.
EPIC
Electors Photo Identity Card
The official Voter ID card issued by the ECI with photo and details of the voter.
FPTP
First Past The Post
The voting system used in India where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of percentage.
Anti-Defection Law
10th Schedule of the Constitution
Law that prevents elected representatives from switching parties. Added by 52nd Amendment, 1985.
Delimitation
Redrawing of constituency boundaries
The process of fixing boundaries of territorial constituencies based on Census population data.
Lok Sabha
House of the People
The lower house of India's Parliament with 543 elected members. Elections held every 5 years.
Rajya Sabha
Council of States
The upper house of Parliament with 245 members. Members elected by state legislatures, not directly by people.
Vidhan Sabha
State Legislative Assembly
The elected lower house of a state legislature. Members (MLAs) are directly elected by the people.
Form 6
New Voter Registration Form
The application form for registering as a new voter in the electoral roll. Can be filed online at nvsp.in.
cVIGIL
Citizen Vigil App
A mobile app by ECI for citizens to report MCC violations with photo/video evidence.
SVEEP
Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation
ECI's flagship program for voter awareness and education through campaigns and outreach.
Postal Ballot
Vote by mail
A method for specific voters (armed forces, seniors 85+, PwD) to vote by mail without visiting a polling station.
Floor Test
Trust Vote in Legislature
A vote in the legislature to prove that the government has majority support. Called by the Governor/President.
Whip
Party directive to vote together
An instruction from a political party to its legislators to vote in a particular way. Defying a whip can lead to disqualification.
Caretaker Government
Government during election period
After MCC kicks in, the ruling government can only handle routine matters and cannot make new policy decisions.
Security Deposit
Cash deposit by candidates
₹25,000 for Lok Sabha, ₹10,000 for Assembly. Forfeited if candidate gets less than 1/6th of total valid votes.
Indelible Ink
Voter marking ink
Special ink containing silver nitrate applied on voter's left forefinger. Stays for 2-4 weeks.
Swing State
Competitive state with unpredictable outcomes
A state where no party has a dominant lead and results can go either way. Similar to 'battleground states' in the US.
Exit Poll
Post-voting survey
A survey conducted after voters leave polling stations to predict election outcomes. Cannot be published until all polling phases end.
Opinion Poll
Pre-election survey
A survey of voter preferences before election day. Cannot be published 48 hours before polling starts.
Booth Capturing
Illegal seizure of polling station
The illegal act of taking over a polling booth by force to cast fraudulent votes. A serious election offense.
Repolling
Re-election at specific booths
Ordered by the ECI when there's evidence of booth capturing, EVM malfunction, or serious irregularities.
By-Election
Election to fill a vacancy
An election held to fill a seat that became vacant due to death, resignation, or disqualification of a member.
Manifesto
Election Manifesto
A published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of a political party or candidate.
EVM Strong Room
Secure storage for EVMs
A highly secure, heavily guarded room where EVMs are stored before and after polling until counting day.
PwD Voter
Person with Disabilities Voter
Voters with physical disabilities for whom special arrangements like ramps, wheelchairs, and accessible voting machines are provided.
Form 6A
NRI Voter Registration Form
The form used by Non-Resident Indians (Overseas Electors) to register to vote in their home constituency.
Form 7
Voter Deletion Form
The form used to object to a proposed inclusion or seek deletion of a name from the electoral roll.
Form 8
Voter Correction Form
The form used for correcting particulars, shifting of residence, or replacing EPIC.
Proxy Voting
Voting through a representative
A facility available only to classified service voters (like armed forces) to nominate someone else to vote on their behalf.
Star Campaigner
Prominent party campaigner
Recognized political parties can have up to 40 star campaigners whose travel expenses are not added to the candidate's personal expenditure.
Expenditure Observer
Election spending monitor
An official appointed by the ECI to monitor election expenditure of candidates to ensure it stays within legal limits.
General Observer
General election monitor
Senior civil servants appointed by the ECI to oversee the entire election process in a constituency.
Police Observer
Security election monitor
Senior IPS officers appointed to monitor the deployment of security forces and law & order during elections.
Counting Agent
Candidate's representative at counting
A person appointed by a candidate to observe the counting of votes and ensure fairness.
Polling Agent
Candidate's representative at booth
A person appointed by a candidate to be present at the polling booth to observe the polling process.
Electoral Roll
Voter List
The official list of all registered voters in a constituency who are eligible to vote.
Summary Revision
Annual electoral roll update
The yearly process of updating the voter list to add new voters, remove deceased/shifted voters, and make corrections.
Dummy Candidate
Non-serious candidate
A candidate put up by a major party simply to divide the votes of a rival or to get extra vehicles and agents.
Coalition Government
Multi-party government
A government formed by an alliance of two or more political parties when no single party achieves an absolute majority.
Absolute Majority
More than 50% seats
Winning more than half of the total seats in a legislature (e.g., 272+ out of 543 in Lok Sabha).
Hung Parliament
No clear majority
A situation where no single political party or pre-poll alliance secures an absolute majority.
Scrutiny of Nominations
Checking candidate papers
The process where the Returning Officer examines all nomination papers to verify if candidates meet the eligibility criteria.
Your Democratic Rights
As an Indian citizen, the Constitution and the Election Commission guarantee you several fundamental rights regarding elections.