New Delhi, June 3, 2024 – With only one day remaining until the counting day, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar addressed a press conference on Monday, shedding light on the monumental turnout of women voters in India during the recently concluded polls. Over 31 crore women exercised their voting rights, contributing to a total of 64 crore votes cast in these elections.
“We have set a world record with 642 million proud Indian voters. This stands as a historic moment for all of us, for the nation as a whole,” Kumar declared. He emphasized the scale of this achievement, noting that it surpasses the voters of all G7 countries combined by 1.5 times and exceeds the voters of the 27 countries in the EU by 2.5 times.
Expressing gratitude to all voters, especially women, Kumar noted that approximately 312 million women participated in the voting process this time, marking the highest turnout ever recorded globally and surpassing the figures from the 2019 elections in terms of both total votes cast and women voters.
This year’s elections also witnessed a significant decrease in repolling incidents, with only 39 occurrences recorded in 2024 compared to the 540 reported in 2019. The Chief Election Commissioner attributed this achievement to the meticulous work of personnel involved in the election process. Out of the 39 repoll incidents, 25 occurred solely in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, with just 14 reported in the rest of India. Additionally, he highlighted that 27 states did not witness any repolls.
Speaking on post-poll violence, Kumar mentioned that in a few states like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh, among others, central paramilitary forces would remain post-MCC to monitor the situation.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar underscored the significance of these elections, not only in terms of the unprecedented voter turnout but also in terms of the efficient management and handling of the electoral process, which contributed to the smooth and peaceful conduct of the polls.
