Now Reading: India’s elections grow from 17 crore voters to nearly 98 crore
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India’s elections grow from 17 crore voters to nearly 98 crore
India’s electorate has expanded from 17.32 crore registered voters in the first Lok Sabha election in 1951-52 to 97.98 crore in 2024, according to Livemint. Turnout rose from 45.67% to 66.10%, with…
The Story in Brief
India’s electorate has expanded from 17.32 crore registered voters in the first Lok Sabha election in 1951-52 to 97.98 crore in 2024, according to Livemint. Turnout rose from 45.67% to 66.10%, with 64.64 crore votes polled in 2024. The country’s elections have also moved from paper ballots to electronic voting machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails. The voting age fell from 21 to 18 in 1989.
Women’s participation has risen sharply. Female turnout reached 65.78% in 2024, close to the overall rate of 66.10%. Politically, India moved from Congress dominance to coalition competition, followed by a BJP-led national contest. The 2024 result reduced the BJP’s majority and required support from allies. The Mandal era also strengthened caste-based and regional parties, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy story is that Indian elections simply shifted from Congress dominance to BJP dominance. That misses the stronger trend: a much larger electorate, greater participation by women and young voters, and continuing influence of regional and caste-based parties. The equally exaggerated claim that technology alone defines electoral change ignores the political shifts behind the numbers. The clearest test is whether future elections sustain turnout above 66% while keeping women’s participation close to men’s.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
