Source: Election Commission of India, statistical reports for the 1998 Lok Sabha election (detailed results, list of winners, list of parties). Vote shares are of valid votes, excluding NOTA, as ECI reports them. Turnout here is votes counted (including NOTA) divided by electors, so it runs slightly below ECI's official figure, which also counts rejected votes.
Constituencies of today's Telangana (16), Jharkhand (14), Chhattisgarh (11), Uttarakhand (5) are placed there by name; at the time they were part of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and a few boundaries straddled the present state lines.
Map boundaries are approximate and for illustration.
Deep dive
New to elections? Start here
How does India choose its government?
Every five years, India holds the world's biggest election. Voters don't pick the Prime Minister directly: they choose one MP for their area, and the MPs decide.
All of it is run by the , an independent body set up by the Constitution.
97.8 crvoters
543MPs, one per
272to form a government
Draw the mapIndia is split into 543 areas called constituencies. Each one will choose one MP.
Make the voter listEvery citizen aged 18 or more can register. In 2024, 97.8 crore people were on the list.
Candidates step upParties and independents file nominations. Rules on spending and speeches (the Model Code of Conduct) kick in.
VoteVoters press a button on an EVM, see a paper slip in the VVPAT and get ink on a finger. 2024 took 7 phases over 44 days.
CountAll votes are counted on one day. In each constituency, whoever has the most votes wins: first past the post.
Form the governmentThe party or alliance with 272+ MPs forms the government. Its leader becomes Prime Minister.
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