India starts voting in Lok Sabha poll, 102 seats, 21 states in 1st phase

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election - a 44-day, seven-phase democratic exercise to elect a new government - begins this morning with over 16.63 crore voters, including 35.67 lakh first-timers, heading to 1.87 lakh polling booths set up in 102 seats across 21 states and union territories, NDTV said, Report informs.

Voting will run from 8 AM to 6 PM, with a 60-minute window for voters who reach polling stations before the cut-off time and are in queue when the booths close. The results will be out on June 4.

The 2024 election is largely expected to be a NDA vs INDIA battle, with the ruling BJP banking heavily (again) on the 'Modi factor' and entrenched support from the Hindi heartland to trump a fledgling Congress-led alliance with only one electoral win - the Chandigarh mayoral election - to its name.

The INDIA bloc has exuded confidence over the past days and weeks, insisting it senses a wave of change, driven by dissatisfaction over unemployment and a cost of living crisis, as well as concern over the condition of religious and socio-economic minorities, that will lead to the BJP's defeat.

The NDA vs INDIA war could come down, experts suggest, to how well each side does in key states, with the BJP alliance hoping for improved performances from the south to add to the very large bundle of seats it expects from Hindi-speaking states. The Congress alliance is seen as hoping for a reverse scenario - it will want to make a big dent in the BJP's northern strongholds while maintaining a relative shut-out in the south, where its enemy has always struggled, except for Karnataka.

That said, when the dust settles, and the votes are counted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely tipped to win a third consecutive term, despite what could be a stiffer test from the opposition.

The BJP has set its alliance an ambitious target - to win 400+ seats—47 more than it won in the last election. The party's personal target is an equally ambitious 370 seats—63 more than the last time.

In 2019, the primary opposition alliance - then the Congress-led UPA - got just 90 seats.