# India’s elections grew from 17 crore voters to nearly 98 crore 2026-08-15T03:48:00+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets India’s electorate has expanded from 17.32 crore registered voters in the first general election of 1951-52 to 97.98 crore in 2024, Livemint reports. Turnout rose from 45.67% to 66.10%, with 64.64 crore votes polled in 2024. Elections moved from paper ballots to electronic voting machines, used nationwide across all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies for the first time, and later added VVPAT paper verification. The voting age fell from 21 to 18 in 1989. Women’s turnout reached 65.78% in 2024, close to the overall figure. Politically, India moved from Congress dominance to coalition politics, regional power centres and a BJP-led national contest. The Mandal era also strengthened caste-based and social justice mobilisation. ## Coverage - livemint.com - ndtvprofit.com Tags: Bihar, BJP, Election Commission of India, Indian National Congress, Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/indias-elections-grow-from-17-crore-voters-to-nearly-98-crore/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/indias-elections-grow-from-17-crore-voters-to-nearly-98-crore/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.