1,000,000,000 VOTERS : PRECIS INDIA

 

INDIA'S ELECTIONS are a large, complicated choreography of machines and megacities. SIX weeks - one billion voters.

When Indians started heading to the polls last Friday, it was just the beginning of a colossal democratic process.

Not until June 4, after six weeks of voting, will India know whether its powerful prime minister, Narendra Modi, will remain in office for third term.

WHY does it all take so long? The short answer : India is the world's most populous nation, with 969 million eligible voters. That's more than one-tenth of the world's population, OR -

About four times the number of eligible voters in the next largest democracy, the  United States.

The longer answer involves India's geography, election rules, security apparatus, holidays and electronic voting machines - a complicated choreography for a big, complicated nation.

'' INDIA is mind-bogglingly large.''

The World Students Society thanks John Yoon and Hari Kumar.