Phase 1, 2 turnout data released by EC; Oppn seeks explanation for delay
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New Delhi: The official overall turnout data for the completed phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were finally issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, following an 11-day delay from the first phase of voting.
The ECI reports that 66.14 per cent of voters participated in the first phase, and 66.71 per cent participated in the second phase, a small increase.
In the first phase, this turnout was recorded in 102 parliamentary constituencies (PCs); in the second phase, it was recorded in 88 PCs. By contrast, 69.43 per cent of voters participated in the first round of the 2019 elections, the New Indian Express reported.
According to official data, 66.22 per cent of male voters, 66.07 per cent of female voters, and 31.32 per cent of third-gender voters cast ballots in the first round, yielding an overall turnout of 66.14 per cent. This phase's voting took place on April 19. In the second phase, which took place on April 26, voter turnout was 66.71 per cent overall, with 66.99 per cent of men, 66.42 per cent of females, and 23.86 per cent of voters who identified as third gender. In the first phase, Bihar had the lowest voter turnout (49.26 per cent), whereas, in the second phase, Uttar Pradesh had the lowest turnout (55.19 per cent).
The EC noted that eleven of the twenty-one states and union territories that held elections in the first phase of the election recorded a higher turnout of women voters, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
Six states and union territories—Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Kerala, and West Bengal—recorded higher female voter turnout in the second round of voting, which involved 13 states and union territories. ECI officials provided an explanation for the delay in the official voter turnout figures, stating that it could only be made public once the postal ballots had been counted and tallied with the total number of votes cast using the EVM. “This includes postal ballots given to service voters, absentee voters, those above 85 years of age, persons with disabilities, those on essential services, and voters on election duty,” a senior ECI official said.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, questioned the delay in a post on X, stating, “For the first time, even 11 days after the first phase of the polls and four days after the second phase, the final voter turnout has not been published by the ECI. In the past, the ECI used to publish the final voter turnout immediately after voting or within 24 hours.”
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said, “Finally, ECI has released the final voter turnout figures for the first 2 phases, which are substantially higher than the initial figures. But why are the absolute numbers of voters in each Parliamentary constituency not provided?.”
