Poll positions

Enforcing the model code of conduct could be a challenge

The second-longest parliamentary elections begin in a little over a month, presenting the uplifting spectacle of democracy in action in the world’s largest democracy. The scale of this quinquennial task has never been small for a country with its wide geographical and multicultural variety. The 2024 exercise is likely to dwarf its predecessors in terms of size. There are about 969 million registered voters for the seven-phase elections, including four Assembly elections.

This number makes India’s electoral exercise larger by several orders of magnitude than other large democracies voting this year. For instance, Indonesia, which recently completed its elections,