2004 Indian general election

General elections were held in India in four phases between 20 April and 10 May 2004. Over 670 million people were eligible to vote, electing 543 members of the 14th Lok Sabha. Seven states also held simultaneous assembly elections to elect state governments. They were the first elections fully carried out with electronic voting machines (EVMs).

On 13 May the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the lead party of the National Democratic Alliance conceded an upset defeat. The Indian National Congress, which had governed India for all but five decades from independence until 1996, returned to power after a record six years out of office. It was unable to put a majority alone in 2004. It formed United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which had together a comfortable majority of more than 335 members out of 543 with the help of its allies. The 335 members included both the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, the governing coalition formed after the election and external support from the Left Front, who threatened to withdraw their support during Nuclear Deal.