2024 Lok Sabha polls end; 64.5% of India votes across 7 phases

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on Saturday (June 1) with the seventh and final phase of voting for 57 seats in eight states.

The seventh phase recorded a voter turnout of 59.15 per cent, and taking it into account, the overall voter turnout for these elections comes out to 64.63 per cent.

The voting began in the first phase on April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

According to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, more than 97 crore voters – 49.7 crore males and 47.1 crore females – were eligible to cast their vote in the polling process spread over 44 days and across 10.5 lakh polling booths.

Voter percentage across phases

Among the first six phases of the Lok Sabha elections, the fourth phase recorded the maximum voter turnout in terms of percentage, while the fifth phase was the lowest. The final figures for the seventh phase are yet to be released by the poll panel.

Per data released by the Election Commission (EC), the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections held on April 19 in 102 seats across 21 states recorded a turnout of 66.14 per cent.

In the second phase, held on April 26 in 88 seats across 13 states, the turnout was recorded at 66.71 per cent, marginally higher than the first phase.

In the third phase, 94 seats across 11 states went to polls on May 7 and recorded a turnout of 65.68 per cent.

Highest polling

On May 13, the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections were held and the voter turnout was 69.16 per cent, the highest among the first six phases. A total of 86 constituencies in 10 states went to polls in the fourth phase.

The fifth phase of the polls held on May 20 recorded a turnout of 62.20 per cent. As many as 49 seats in eight states went to polls in the fifth phase.

The sixth phase of polls held on May 25 recorded a turnout of 63.37 per cent. As many as 58 constituencies spread across eight states went to polls in phase 6.

The seventh and final phase of polls held on June 1, which witnessed polling in 57 seats of 8 states, registered a voter turnout of 59.15 per cent, the lowest among the phases.

Overall numbers

In terms of absolute numbers, 11,00,52,103 voters exercised their franchise in the first phase, 10,58,30,572 in the second phase, 11,32,34,676 in the third phase, 12,24,69,319 in the fourth phase, 5,57,10,618 in the fifth phase, and 7,05,44,933 in the sixth phase. The poll panel is yet to release the absolute numbers for the seventh and final phase of polling.

In the previous general elections in 2019, there were a total of 91.2 crore eligible voters of which 61.5 crore – 67.4 per cent – turned out to exercise their franchise.

Record polling in J&K

Five seats of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a record 58. 46 per cent voter turnout in Lok Sabha polls 2024, the Election Commission of India said on May 27. This is the highest poll participation in erstwhile state in the last 35 years, the poll panel said.

The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat recorded about 54. 84 per cent voter turnout on May 25. All three seats of Kashmir Valley – Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri – witnessed record separate turnouts. The record voter turnout of 50.86 per cent from the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the Kashmir Valley echoes the faith of the people in the democratic process, the poll panel said.

Bengaluru disappoints

Almost half of Bengaluru’s eligible voters did not show up to cast their votes during the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Across Karnataka’s 14 constituencies that went to polls on April 26, the Election Commission reported an estimated voter turnout of 69.23 per cent.

However, the voter turnout in the three urban constituencies of Bangalore — Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, and Bangalore South — was notably lower than the overall state average. The estimated voter turnout was 52.81 per cent in Bangalore Central, 54.42 per cent in Bangalore North, and 53.15 per cent in Bangalore South.