Election words explained
Plain-language meanings of the words on election pages: constituency, reserved seat, electors, turnout, NOTA, postal ballot, affidavit, EVM and VVPAT, and more.
Constituency (seat): India is divided into constituencies. Each one elects a single representative: an MP for the Lok Sabha, an MLA for the state assembly. Your assembly seat and your Lok Sabha seat are different seats with different elections.
Lok Sabha and MP: The Lok Sabha is the House of the People. Each of its 543 constituencies elects a Member of Parliament (MP) every five years. MPs pass national laws and the budget, and the party or alliance with a majority forms the central government.
Vidhan Sabha and MLA: The Vidhan Sabha is the state legislative assembly. Each assembly constituency elects a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) every five years. MLAs pass state laws and budgets, and the majority forms the state government.
Assembly segment: A Lok Sabha constituency is built from several whole assembly constituencies, usually six to eight. So if you live in Margao, your MLA is elected from Margao and your MP from South Goa, the Lok Sabha seat Margao sits in.
Reserved seat (SC, ST, General): The Constitution reserves some seats so that Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are represented. In a reserved seat only a candidate from that group may stand, but every registered voter there votes as usual. A General seat has no such restriction.
Electors: Electors are the people on the seat's electoral roll (the voter list). Turnout compares how many of them actually voted. Service electors are members of the armed forces and others posted away who are registered here.
Turnout: Turnout is votes polled divided by electors. A 77% turnout means 77 of every 100 people on the voter list cast a vote.
Valid votes: Votes polled include every vote cast. Some postal ballots are rejected, for example when the declaration is not signed. What is left is the valid votes, which decide the result.
NOTA (None of the above): NOTA lets you vote without choosing any candidate. Its count is published, but the candidate with the most votes still wins, even if NOTA gets more votes than them.
Postal ballot: Postal ballots let people who cannot reach their booth vote: armed forces personnel, polling staff on duty, and, where allowed, voters over 85 or with disabilities. They are counted first on counting day.
Margin: The margin is the winner's votes minus the runner-up's votes. A small margin means a close contest.
Sitting member (incumbent): An incumbent is the sitting MLA or MP standing again. It tells you who held the seat going into the election, not who won it.
Affidavit (Form 26): Every candidate must file Form 26 under oath. It lists their education, occupation, assets and liabilities for themselves and their family, and any criminal cases. Elector shows it as filed and links the original. Filing false information is an offence.
Criminal cases, as declared: Candidates must declare pending criminal cases where charges have been framed or a court has taken notice, and any past convictions. A pending case means a trial is not finished; the person is not guilty unless convicted. Elector repeats what was filed and makes no finding.
Assets and liabilities: Assets include cash, bank deposits, shares, vehicles, gold, land and buildings. Liabilities are loans and dues. Both are declared in the affidavit at the time of nomination, at the value the candidate gave.
Voter ID (EPIC): The Elector Photo Identity Card, or EPIC, is your voter ID. You can vote with it or with one of eleven other accepted IDs, such as an Aadhaar card, passport or driving licence, as long as your name is on the voter list.
EVM and VVPAT: The Electronic Voting Machine records your vote when you press the button next to a candidate. The VVPAT printer beside it shows a slip with the candidate's name and symbol for seven seconds so you can check your vote, then drops it into a sealed box.
Model Code of Conduct: Once the Election Commission announces dates, the Model Code of Conduct applies: governments cannot announce new schemes, and parties and candidates must not use official machinery, bribe voters or appeal on caste or religion.
By-election: When a seat becomes vacant, because the member died, resigned or was disqualified, a by-election (also called a bye-election) is held for that seat alone, usually within six months.
Ward and councillor: Municipal councils and corporations run towns and cities. Their area is divided into wards, and each ward elects one councillor. These elections are run by the State Election Commission, not the Election Commission of India.