2024 Indian general election in the context of "1951–52 Indian general election"

General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter turnout was over 67 percent – the highest ever in any Indian general election, as well as the highest ever participation by women voters until the 2024 Indian general election.

The Bharatiya Janata Party received 37% of the vote, the highest vote share by a political party since the 1989 general election, and won 303 seats, further increasing its substantial majority. In addition, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 353 seats. The BJP won 37.76% of votes, while the NDA's combined vote was 45% of the 603.7 million votes that were polled. The Indian National Congress won 52 seats, failing to get 10% of the seats needed to claim the post of Leader of the Opposition. In addition, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 91 seats, while other parties won 98 seats.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA; ISO: Rāṣṭrīya Lokatāntrik Gaṭhabandhan) is an Indian big tent multi-party political alliance, led by the country's biggest political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was founded on 15 May 1998. It currently has a majority in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, and controls the Government of India as well as the governments of 19 out of 28 Indian states and 2 out of 3 Union territories with legislative assemblies.

Its first chairman was then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. L. K. Advani, the former Deputy Prime Minister, took over as chairman in 2004 and served until 2014, and Amit Shah has been the chairman since 2014. The coalition ruled from 1998 to 2004. The alliance returned to power in the 2014 general elections with a combined vote share of 38.5%. Its leader Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014. In the 2019 general election, the alliance further increased its tally to 353 seats with combined vote share of 45.43%. The alliance lost 60 seats in the 2024 general election, but retained enough to form a coalition government, a first in over 10 years. On 7 June 2024, Modi confirmed the support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu, the President of India. This marked Modi's third term as Prime Minister and his first time heading a coalition government, with the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar emerging as two main allies.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was a political alliance in India led by the Indian National Congress. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party got the majority.

The UPA subsequently governed India from 2004 until 2014 for two terms before losing power to their main rivals, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The UPA used to rule seven States and union territories of India before it was dissolved to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance on 18 July 2023 ahead of the 2024 general election.

Janata Dal (United) (JD(U), lit. 'People's Party (United)'), is a social democratic and secular Indian political party, rooted mainly in eastern and north-eastern India, whose stated goals are promoting social justice and lifting up marginalised people. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar, where it heads the government, Manipur, where it is part of the government coalition in the legislative assembly, and Arunachal Pradesh. JD(U), as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, won 12 seats in the 2024 Indian general election, making it the seventh largest party in the Lok Sabha.

JD(U) was formed with the merger of Sharad Yadav's faction of the Janata Dal, the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti party on 30 October 2003. The party's mentor and patron was the veteran socialist George Fernandes, successively leader of the Samyukta Socialist Party, the Socialist Party and the Samata Party. However, the Election Commission of India initially refused the merger of the latter: party president Brahmanand Mandal was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and not physically well, so Uday Mandal replaced him.