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| India sets general election dates | India sets general election dates |
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| India's general election will take place in nine phases in April and May, the Election Commission has announced. | |
| Polling to elect a new Lok Sabha, or lower house, will be held from 7 April to 12 May. Votes will be counted on 16 May. | |
| With some 814 million eligible voters, India's election will be the largest the world has seen. | With some 814 million eligible voters, India's election will be the largest the world has seen. |
| The ruling Congress party and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party will be battling a host of smaller parties. | The ruling Congress party and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party will be battling a host of smaller parties. |
| Leaders of 11 regional parties have formed a Third Front against the Congress and the BJP. | Leaders of 11 regional parties have formed a Third Front against the Congress and the BJP. |
| A new anti-corruption Aam Aadmi (Common Man's) Party (AAP), which made a spectacular debut in recent polls in the capital Delhi, will also contest the elections. | A new anti-corruption Aam Aadmi (Common Man's) Party (AAP), which made a spectacular debut in recent polls in the capital Delhi, will also contest the elections. |
| If no single party wins a clear majority, smaller parties could play a crucial role. | If no single party wins a clear majority, smaller parties could play a crucial role. |
| India's lower house has 543 elected seats and any party or a coalition needs a minimum of 272 MPs to form a government. | India's lower house has 543 elected seats and any party or a coalition needs a minimum of 272 MPs to form a government. |
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| The dates on which polling will be held are 7 April, 9 April, 10 April, 12 April, 17 April, 24 April, 30 April, 7 May and 12 May. | The dates on which polling will be held are 7 April, 9 April, 10 April, 12 April, 17 April, 24 April, 30 April, 7 May and 12 May. |
| Some states will hold polls in several phases. The new parliament has to be constituted by 31 May. | Some states will hold polls in several phases. The new parliament has to be constituted by 31 May. |
| Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said school examination schedules, weather and crop harvesting seasons had been taken into account in deciding the polling dates. | Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said school examination schedules, weather and crop harvesting seasons had been taken into account in deciding the polling dates. |
| Some 814 million voters - 100 million more than the last elections in 2009 - are eligible to vote at 930,000 polling stations, up from 830,000 polling stations in 2009. | Some 814 million voters - 100 million more than the last elections in 2009 - are eligible to vote at 930,000 polling stations, up from 830,000 polling stations in 2009. |
| Electronic voting machines will be used and will contain a None of the Above (Nota) button, an option for voters who do not want to cast their ballot for any of the candidates. | Electronic voting machines will be used and will contain a None of the Above (Nota) button, an option for voters who do not want to cast their ballot for any of the candidates. |
| Elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will take place in six phases. Kashmir and West Bengal will vote in five phases each. | Elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will take place in six phases. Kashmir and West Bengal will vote in five phases each. |
| Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous states and one of its largest. Elections in the capital, Delhi, will be held on 10 April. | Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous states and one of its largest. Elections in the capital, Delhi, will be held on 10 April. |
| The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the polls are being seen as a straight contest between the governing coalition led by the Congress party and the opposition BJP which is being led by the charismatic and controversial Hindu nationalist leader, Narendra Modi. | |
| Mr Modi, who is ahead in all the pre-poll surveys, is the leader of Gujarat state which witnessed one of India's worst anti-Muslim riots in 2002. | |
| The incumbent Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, is stepping down and Congress is being led by Rahul Gandhi, the latest member of India's influential Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. |