The Lok Sabha election, the biggest democratic exercise on earth, ended with the final round of voting on May 19. As votes for the seven-phased polls are counted on May 23, the election results will determine the 17th Lok Sabha and the next government.

In 2014, the Narendra Modi-led BJP swept to power, winning 282 of the 543 seats in Lok Sabha; it crossed the halfway mark of 272. The BJP became the first party to gain majority on its own in three decades. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the coalition it leads, won 336 seats. The Congress, which headed the UPA government for two consecutive terms earlier, could manage just 44 seats.

Around 90 crore people were eligible to vote in the general election this year, an increase of around 9 crore compared to the election in 2014. An estimated 13 crore of them were eligible to vote for the first time.

One million polling stations were set up across the country for the mammoth election.

The first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 11 saw a voter turnout of 69.43 per cent. Sixty six per cent turnout was recorded in both the second phase (April 18) and the third phase of polling (April 23). The overall voter turnout in the fourth phase of the national elections (April 29) stood at 64 per cent. The fifth phase of polling, held on May 6, saw 57.33 per cent turnout.

The sixth phase of voting was held on May 12; 63.3 per cent turnout was recorded for the phase.

For the seventh and final phase of polling, 64.15 per cent people - 1 percent more than 2014 - cast their votes.