ONCE UPON A POLL: 15th Lok Sabha elections (2009)

Changing Coalition
The Congress-led coalition, the first of its kind, had lost the support of the Left eight months before the polls, in protest against the nuclear deal with the US. A controversial vote of confidence followed, which the UPA won easily. The Congress president clearly stated Manmohan Singh was the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate while the BJP tacitly agreed L K Advani was its candidate. Welfare schemes, loan waivers, and an economy that seemed relatively unaffected by the 2008 slowdown provided the backdrop for these elections. The opposition appeared too negative and the Congress succeeded in marketing its stability slogan, along with trumpeting itself as a centre-left coalition.

Standout features
More women than men voted, 225.7 million to 191 million. It was the first time that the Left Front was not among the top three parties or formations. The BJP got 22 seats less than in 2004.

The Leader
Dr Manmohan Singh became the first PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to get reelected after a full term of five years.