Plain-language meanings of the terms used on Bharatvote.in.
Lok Sabha
The lower house of Parliament. Each of its constituencies elects one Member of Parliament (MP).
Vidhan Sabha
A state legislative assembly. Each assembly constituency elects one Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
Constituency
The area that elects one representative. Boundaries are redrawn from time to time (delimitation), so a seat with the same name may not cover the same area in every year.
Electors
People on the electoral roll who are entitled to vote.
Votes polled
Votes actually cast.
Turnout
Votes polled divided by electors, as a percentage.
Vote share
The share of votes a candidate or party received. Not the same as seat share.
Seat share
The share of seats a party won.
Margin
How many more votes the winner received than the runner-up.
NOTA
None of the Above: a ballot option, available since 2013, for voters who reject every candidate. NOTA votes are counted but cannot change who wins.
Reserved constituency (SC/ST)
A seat where only candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST) may stand. Everyone on the roll can vote.
Swing
The change in a party’s vote share between two elections, in percentage points.
Bellwether
A seat that usually elects the party that goes on to win the most seats nationally.
Safe seat
A seat the same party has won many times in a row.
Independent (IND)
A candidate not standing for any party.
People’s Vote
Bharatvote.in’s crowdsourced straw poll. It counts website visitors who chose to answer. It is not an official vote, not a survey and not a prediction.