INDIA'S Election Commission said on Monday that 642 million of the 968 million registered voters cast their ballots in the general election that concluded on June 1.
Although the number is higher than the 612 million voters who cast their ballots in the previous election in 2019, it is about one percentage point lower than the 67.4 per cent turnout five years ago.
The seven-phase 2024 vote began on April 19 and was held in scorching summer heat in many parts of the country, with temperatures rising to nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) in some north and northwestern regions.
The voter turnout was possibly lower in the initial phases because there was no single major issue to draw voters out, analysts said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought a rare, third consecutive term.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance is projected to win a big majority, TV exit polls said on Saturday, ahead of the counting on Tuesday.
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Addressing a press briefing, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said nearly 400,000 vehicles, 135 special trains and 1,692 air sorties were used for conducting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He said that Jammu and Kashmir recorded its highest turnout in four decades at 58.58 per cent overall and 51.05 per cent in the Valley.
The number of repolls were down to 39, as against 540 repolls in 2019, he said. (Agencies)
An aerial view of the British Steel Scunthorpe site on September 13, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)