New Delhi (CNN) -- National elections in the world's largest democracy are always a mind-boggling spectacle. The Election Commission of India estimates some 788 million people are eligible to vote in 2014 -- an electorate that's more than double the population of the United States. How the country conducts this mammoth exercise every five years never ceases to amaze observers. What makes 2014 even more significant is the likelihood of an epic battle between the ruling Indian National Congress and its allies versus the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the controversial Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi at its helm. The Indian National Congress has been in power for the past decade under the leadership of the Italy-born Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, heir to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
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India's election takes place with some 788 million eligible voters
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CNN's Sumnima Udas in Delhi lists five factors to influence the upcoming elections
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Showdown looming between ruling Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party
What moves Indian youth to act is unpredictable, as manifested in the stunning outpouring of support for the victim of a vicious gang rape in @placeholder in 2012.