ECI releases ‘world's largest electoral dataset’ for 2024 elections: Here are the major takeaways

Election Commission of India

In a significant move aimed at promoting electoral transparency and research, the Election Commission of India on Thursday released the 'world's largest' electoral datasheet comprising 42 statistical reports on the 2024 parliamentary elections and 14 reports each on four state Assembly elections.

The poll watchdog said that these 100 statistical reports will be a treasure trove for academicians, researchers and election watchers globally for policy insights and in-depth analysis.

The dataset includes detailed information such as Parliamentary and Assembly constituency-wise electors, polling station numbers, voter turnout by state or constituency, party-wise vote shares, gender-based voting patterns, women’s participation, regional trends, constituency summaries, the performance of national and state parties, winning candidate analysis, and more.

- State and UT with highest/ lowest number of polling stations: Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of polling stations at 1,62,069, while Lakshadweep had the fewest with 55. Eleven parliamentary constituencies had fewer than 1,000 polling stations, whereas three had more than 3,000. Bihar saw the largest increase in polling stations with 4,739 additional stations compared to 2019, followed by West Bengal with 1,731.

- Women's participation soars: The 2024 parliamentary polls highlighted significant strides in women's participation. Of the 97.97 crore registered electors, 47.63 crore were women, up from 43.85 crore in 2019, comprising 48.62% of the total electors compared to 48.09% in 2019. Puducherry led with the highest percentage of female electors (53.03%), followed by Kerala (51.56%). The female-to-male elector ratio reached a record high of 946 per 1,000 males, up from 926 in 2019.

- Female voters surpassing male voters: Female voter turnout was 65.78%, surpassing male turnout (65.55%), marking the second instance in Lok Sabha history where women outvoted men, as they did in 2019. Dhubri (Assam) had the highest female voting turnout at 92.17%, followed by Tamluk (West Bengal) at 87.57%. In terms of representation, 800 women contested the elections, up from 726 in 2019. Maharashtra had the highest number of female candidates (111), followed by Uttar Pradesh (80) and Tamil Nadu (77). However, 152 constituencies had no female candidates.

- Rise in registered voters: The number of registered electors in the 2024 elections reached 97.97 crore, marking a 7.43% increase from 91.19 crore in 2019. Out of these, 64.64 crore votes were cast, an increase from 61.4 crore in 2019, with 64.21 crore votes cast via EVMs and 42.81 lakh through postal ballots.

- Record voter turnout: Dhubri in Assam recorded the highest voter turnout at 92.3%, while Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir saw the lowest at 38.7%, though this was a significant improvement from 14.4% in 2019. Eleven parliamentary constituencies had a turnout below 50%.

The datasheet not only sheds light on the changing dynamics of India's elections but also promises to be a useful tool for long-term analysis of political and electoral trends.