The poll body has published the electoral rolls in all states and Union Territories across the country under the Special Summary Revision 2024 (SSR 2024). Among the states, Uttar Pradesh, with the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, has the most voters — 15.3 crore. It is followed by Maharashtra (9.1 crore) and Bihar (7.6 crore). The ECI data, analysed by News18, also shows that Lakshadweep, with just 57,593 voters, is on the other end followed by Ladakh with 1.83 lakh voters.
With the general elections scheduled for March-April as the term of the current Lok Sabha is ending in May, this might be the final list of voters who will be exercising their rights.
As per the ECI data, when compared to 2019, there has been an eight per cent increase in the voters in 2024 — from 89.6 crore to 96.8 crore.
The SSR, published with January 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, has added more than 2.63 crore new electors. The data shows that there are around 15 per cent more women (1.41 crore) added in the list than men (1.22 crore).
The number of male voters has increased by around seven per cent, while females have gone up by around nine per cent between 2019 and 2024, data shows.
The six states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh – are also home to the highest number of Lok Sabha seats in the same order, with Bihar an exception. While Bihar is fourth in terms of Lok Sabha seats, it is third in terms of voters while West Bengal is at the fourth position in terms of voters but has two more Lok Sabha seats than Bihar. These six states have more than half Lok Sabha seats as well as voters.
The numbers from the poll body show that there has been a remarkable increase in female voter registrations — exemplifying a concerted effort towards gender parity and inclusivity.
Over the last few years, particularly between 2019 and 2024, there has been a consistent rise in Elector Gender Ratio — from 928 to 948.
“The Electoral Roll gender ratio has surged positively, indicating the growing role of women in shaping the democratic fabric of the nation,” the ECI said in a statement.
Of the nearly 97 crore voters registered as of date, 1.84 crore are in the age bracket of 18-19 years while 19.74 crore are between 20-29 years. As many as 2.38 lakh voters are above the age of 100 years while 1.85 crore are more than 80 years of age.
Citing the enhanced voter registrations across all the segments, the poll body called it a significant achievement that symbolises a collective commitment to upholding the principles of free and fair elections.
“As the nation gears up for the General Elections 2024, this inclusive and diverse electoral roll stands as a testament to the strength of democracy and the unwavering spirit of civic participation among its citizens,” it said.
The commission said it firmly believes that inclusive, healthy, pure and transparently prepared electoral rolls are the foundation of free, fair and credible elections. It has been the priority of the commission that no eligible citizen is deprived of their right to be included in the electoral roll and also to maintain electoral rolls error free and without any duplicate and ineligible entries, to the extent possible.
Not just adding names, but ECI has also deleted 1.65 crore names from the rolls after thorough “house-to-house verification”.
This includes 67.82 lakh dead voters, 75.11 lakh permanently shifted and absent voters and 22.05 duplicate voters. The poll body said that that comprehensive clean-up ensures the integrity and purity of the electoral process.
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