By: Aditya Ahuja
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday that 96.88 crore people are registered to vote in the upcoming General Elections, making it the largest electorate in history. The EC revealed that over two crore youth electors aged 18 to 29 have been added to the voters’ list.
Following months-long intensive Special Summary Revision 2024 exercise and ahead of the General Elections 2024, the ECI has published electoral rolls in all States/UTs with reference to January 1, 2024, as the qualifying date. The EC noted the successful completion of the revision of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, following the delimitation of constituencies.
The EC highlighted the achievements in terms of inclusivity, health, and purity of the electoral rolls, attributing them to meticulous planning, coordination, and participation of political parties.
Meanwhile, the gender ratio increased from 940 in 2023 to 948 in 2024, according to the poll panel. The Commission placed special emphasis on the purity and health of the Electoral Roll, along with disclosures and transparency in the revision of electoral rolls.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, in a first, held a press conference at Pune during the launch of the Special Summary Revision Exercise in November 2022. He detailed the various tasks involved in the revision of electoral rolls, emphasizing the participation of political parties at every stage.
There was a notable increase in female voter registrations, showcasing a notable effort towards gender parity and inclusivity within the electoral framework.
The Electoral Roll gender ratio surged positively, indicating the growing role of women in shaping the democratic fabric of the nation. Over 2.63 crore new electors were included, with around 1.41 crore being female electors, surpassing newly enrolled male voters by over 15 percent.
Special efforts were made to achieve 100 percent registration of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), making the electoral rolls the most inclusive to date, the EC added.
According to the Election Commission, after thorough house-to-house verification, names of 1,65,76,654 deceased, permanently shifted, and duplicate electors were deleted from the electoral rolls.
This comprehensive cleanup ensures the integrity and purity of the electoral process and includes 67,82,642 deceased voters, 75,11,128 permanently shifted/absent voters, and 22,05,685 duplicate voters.