Israel elections: Understanding how Knesset polls work vs India’s system — SkimNews
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- Exit polls on October 28, 2026 showed Netanyahu's camp and chief rival Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party in a neck-and-neck fight without an outright majority; both claimed a mandate, leaving the outcome to the final tally and negotiations with smaller parties — the unresolved race The Hindu, India Today and NYT also flagged, with Axios pointing to weeks of wrangling ahead.
- Israel allocates all 120 Knesset seats through nationwide proportional representation — one voting constituency, closed party lists, no separate districts or local MPs — so voters cast a single ballot for a party rather than for individual candidates.
- India uses first-past-the-post across 543 parliamentary constituencies, where whichever candidate secures a constituency majority takes the seat, letting major national parties win single-party majority mandates without relying on minor regional partners.
- 3.25% electoral threshold — roughly four seats — excludes parties that fall short of the national vote and forces them to lose all their votes, making party mergers and alliances pertinent ahead of candidate submission deadlines.
- Likud anchors Netanyahu's coalition alongside Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's pro-settler Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Jewish Power; no single party has ever won the 61-seat majority outright, so niche factions become kingmakers whose withdrawal can quickly collapse the administration.
- Bharatiya Janata Party won outright single-party majorities with 282 seats in 2014 and 303 in 2019, but in the 2024 general elections the BJP took 240 seats and the NDA 286, leaving the party 32 short of the 272-seat mark and dependent on coalition allies.
- Isaac Herzog will consult elected parliamentary factions once official results are published and nominate the lawmaker best placed to secure parliamentary support rather than the leader of the largest party; the first nominee has 28 days, extendable by up to 14 additional days, and repeated failure can lead to another election.
Why it matters: With 61 seats required and a 3.25% threshold, Religious Zionism and Jewish Power hold outsized leverage inside Netanyahu's coalition — withdrawal by a minor partner can bring the administration down, unlike in India, where the BJP secured outright majorities of 282 seats in 2014 and 303 in 2019 without regional partners.
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