68 Phases, 53 Parties: All About India's 1st Lok Sabha Election

India became independent in 1947 but didn’t hold its first election until 1951. (Representational). The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are underway, with voting for the first two phases already concluded and five more to go. Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, has 543 elected representatives, but it can have up to 550 members. The term of the Lok Sabha is typically five years from the date of its first meeting unless dissolved earlier. However, during a state of emergency, Parliament can extend its term by law for up to one year at a time, not exceeding six months beyond the end of the emergency proclamation.