Indian national elections begin Monday

Voting will begin on April 7, 2014, in India's national elections in the two remote northeastern states of Assam and Tripura, before spreading across the country of 814 million eligible voters in a staggered process. Results are due on May 16.  The marathon begins on Monday in six remote northeastern seats which are more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from New Delhi. It wraps up six weeks later in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, home to the Taj Mahal and the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges. By the time nominations close, there are expected to be around 15,000 candidates from 500 parties vying for 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, or lower house of parliament. "The statistics are mind-boggling," said Chief Election Commissioner V. S. Sampath as he announced the dates of India's 16th general election last month. "There are regional, religious, ethnic complexities as well as cultural and linguistic diversities, plus the geographic spread of the country." There will be regional adaptations of the electronic ballot papers to incorporate each of India's 22 official languages.