96 crore citizens eligible to cast vote in 2024 Lok Sabha polls

• Over 96 crore people, including 47 crore women, are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for which more than 12 lakh polling booths would be set up across India.

• Over 1.73 crore of those eligible to vote are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, according to Election Commission data.

• As many as 1.5 crore polling personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the Parliamentary elections to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha.

• India had 17.32 crore registered voters in 1951, which rose to 19.37 crore in 1957.

• There were 91.20 crore voters in the 2019 polls.

• Out of the total voters registered in the electoral rolls, nearly 18 lakh are persons with disabilities.

• In the first Lok Sabha elections the voter turnout was recorded at 45 per cent. 

• It was 67 per cent in the last Parliamentary polls. 

Election Commission of India

• The Election Commission of India (EC) is a permanent independent constitutional body created under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution. 

• The EC was set up on January 25, 1950, on the eve of India becoming a sovereign democratic republic with its headquarters in New Delhi. 

• The first Chief Election Commissioner (Sukumar Sen) was appointed on March 21, 1950. 

Functions of EC

• EC is vested with the powers and responsibilities of superintendence, direction and control of the entire process of preparation and revision of electoral rolls for, and conduct of, elections to the houses of Parliament and Legislatures of the states and the Union Territories and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President. 

• It prepares, maintains and periodically updates (new registration, modification and deletion as per guidelines) the electoral rolls, registers political parties/candidates, supervises the whole process of conducting election, monitors the election campaigns, including funding and expenditure of candidates, maintaining Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to make the entire electoral process free fair democratic and accessible for all its stakeholders. 

• It also facilitates coverage of the election process by the media, carries out the voter education and awareness measures, organises the polling stations/ booths where voting takes place, and oversees under stringent surveillance mechanisms the counting of votes and the declaration of results. 

• EC has introduced polling through EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and recently, introduced VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) with an intention to enhance transparency and credibility of all the stakeholders in the electoral process. 

• The poll panel has provided for compulsory identification at the time of voting by means of Electors’ Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) and distribution of Photo Voter Slips to all electors close to polls. 

• Elections are conducted according to the constitutional provisions, supplemented by laws made by Parliament and rules and orders made thereunder. The major laws are: 

i) The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.

ii) The Representation of the People Act, 1950.

iii) The Representation of the People Act, 1951. 

• All political parties are required to get themselves registered with the Election Commission. Based on performance criteria laid down in the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order 1968, the EC grants recognition to political parties as national or state parties. It also decides disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.

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