Introduction

Members of the 16th Lok Sabha were elected during the 2014 Indian general election. The elections were conducted in 9 phases from 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014 by the Election Commission of India. 16th lok sabha elections were full of emotions and drama, criticism , parties forming alliances with their foes.in order to achieve a magical no. of 272.

down the history books as a day that translated the dreams of many into reality. Results on the counting day of 16th May – a make or break day for many – and the many include the leaders on top to their supporters at the ground root level. The celebration of the biggest democracy of 16th Lok Sabha Elections Polls touch new heights with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spreading its wings across most parts of India from its Hindi heartland base. Its rival, the Congress party, has lost ground sharply in urban India. The results are historic not just on account of the absolute majority won by one party but also because of the sharp rise in the median victory margin. The median victory margin, which hovered in the 7-9% range over the past four parliamentary elections, went up to 13% this time giving up a stable government to the country. This Lok Sabha election was a structural break for India as its voters comprehensively rejected their Nehru-Gandhi past

Analysis of voter’s behavior in 16 th lok sabha elections 2014

16th Lok Sabha Election include: •

Anger- Generating an emotion of anger among the voters regarding a political party can help in generating votes for the other political party. In the 16th LS Election, the anti-incumbency factor towards INC (Indian National Congress) was so dominant in these elections that it was clearly visible in the voter’s behaviour. BJP, in its campaign, understood and channelized this anger in tapping more votes for their party. • Anxiety- Voters who face anxiety during the elections vote for those candidates who manage to bring forth the effective manifesto of policies and promises.

As the results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2014 showed that the voters felt agitated and anxious towards INC’s lack of offering any development or even the hope of doing so. This automatically shifted the votes to the party that effectively managed to market its “Gujarat Model,” and at the same time, gave a hope along with confidence, of delivering equally efficient model to the entire country.

• Insecurity- In the studies conducted by Psychology experts, it has also been found that insecurity among voters regarding their future as well as safety and security of their life can play a pivotal role in their behaviour.

In the Lok Sabha Election 2014, it was clearly visible that the voters lost confidence in the present Union Government, which shifted the voting graph completely towards a party that are ready to offer everything that a voter demanded.

Prime Ministerial Candidates affecting Voter’s Behaviour in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections The most drastic change observed in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections was that instead of being party-specific, the elections became person-specific. In fact, it was this factor which became one of the most important factors in the outcome of the 16th Lok Sabha Election. It was the rising popularity of Narendra Modi as a decisive leader that overshadowed anti-incumbency factor related to the UPA-II Government.

Media’s Impact on Voter’s Behaviour The media and its use in political campaigns also affect the voter’s behaviour. The media was use at its best in the 16th Lok Sabha Election. On the one hand, BJP led by Narendra Modi managed managed to conceptualize his political campaign through social media and

Gandhi was found to be wanting on this count.

In the past or even in the present, no other political party has managed to use the social media to engage a large population of youth, a section which lacks interest in the politics of the country.

Voter’s turnout

In this election, their was a drastic upward shift in the voter’s turnout which shows that the people are willing to use their right to get stable and strong government.The highest turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election was recorded in the State of Nagaland (87.82 %) and the lowest turnout was recorded in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (49.52 %). The highest male turnout was reported in Nagaland (88.15%) while the highest female turnout was reported in Lakshadweep (88.42%).

Women’s turnout

The participation of women and their engagement in electoral process is an important maker of the maturity and efficacy of the democracy in an country. It can be defined not only in terms of the equality and freedom with which they share political power with men, but also in terms of liberty and space provided for women in the democratic framework of electoral politics. the participation of women as voters is clearly on the upswing at the national level as more and more women have started exercising their electoral rights and participating in electoral competition. The proportion of women MPs has been rising since the first Lok Sabha, albeit at a glacial pace. The highest turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election was recorded in the State of Nagaland (87.82 %) and the lowest turnout was recorded in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (49.52 %). The highest male turnout was reported in Nagaland (88.15%) while the highest female turnout was reported in Lakshadweep (88.42%). Female voter turnout (in percentage) was higher than male turnout in 16 States and UTs.

Parliamentary profile

The 16th Lok Sabha will have the most number of women members of Parliament (MPs), the highest number of MPs with doctoral degrees, and the highest number of MPs aged above 70 years in the history of the Indian Parliament.

Although the proportion of MPs with doctoral degrees is at an all-time high, the 16th Lok Sabha actually marks a fall in educational attainments of lawmakers. The proportion of MPs who have not cleared their matriculation exams has risen to double digits for the first time since 1980.The proportion of MPs below 40 has fallen steadily over the past six decades despite the rising proportion of young people in the country. The number of Muslim MPs fell by 6 to 29 this time, after witnessing a similar fall in the 15th Lok Sabha. The proportion of women MPs has been rising since the first Lok Sabha, albeit at a glacial pace.

Conclusion • The primary difference between the past elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections was a societal behaviour shift. The graph took a deep shift from traditional community boundaries like religion and caste, to the more transparent factors such as economic status and geo-location. • Another crucial difference was a less relevant Hindu-Muslim division because huge number of young voters influenced the votes and this population does not consider sectarian impulse as a primary factor during voting.