Monday, 20/05/2019 16:24 (GMT+7)
India has concluded its marathon seven-phase national elections on May 19th, the country's Election Commission has announced.
(Source: moneycontrol)
The voting wrapped up the six-week-long campaign, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking re-election for another five years.
The last round of the election includes 59 constituencies in eight states. Up for grabs are 13 seats in Punjab and an equal number in Uttar Pradesh, eight each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, four in Himachal Pradesh and three in Jharkhand and Chandigarh.
Exit polls by four leading television news channels, including Republic, TimesNow, New Delhi Television and India today projected a victory for the BJP and its allies with 287 to 339 seats.
Total voter turnout in the national election was 64.9%, the election commission said, lower than the 66.40% turnout in the last national vote in 2014.
A party needs at last 272 seats to claim a majority in the 543-member lower house of parliament, or Lok Sabha.
The vote count is scheduled on May 23rd./.
Compiled by BTA