2009 Indian general election

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General elections were held in India in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009 to elect the members of the fifteenth Lok Sabha. With a registered electorate of 716 million and a turnout of 417 million voters, it was the largest democratic election in the world until being surpassed by the 2014 general election. By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held every five years or when Parliament is dissolved by the president. The previous elections were held in May 2004; the term of the 14th Lok Sabha would have naturally expired on 1 June 2009. The elections were organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and were held in multiple phases to better handle the large electorate and security concerns. In February 2009, Rs.11.20 billion ($200.5 million) was budgeted for election expenses by parliament. A total of 8,070 candidates contested 543 seats elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. The National Democratic Alliance...

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