World record as 642 mn Indians cast votes in Lok Sabha Elections 2024, says CEC

Calling the recently held elections a "miracle", Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Rajiv Kumar, in a press conference today, said India has created a world record after 642 million voters cast their votes in this year's General Elections 2024. This is 1.5 times the voters of all G7 countries and 2.5 times the voters of 27 countries in the EU, he said.

Giving a standing ovation to voters for participating in the festival of democracy, Kumar says: "312 million women voters cast their vote in the General Elections 2024, which 1.25 times women voters of 27 EU countries in their last national election."

Additionally, he said the home voting facility was a first in India’s General Elections this year. "Celebration of democracy with over 97 Cr electors, 1.5 Cr polling officials & 10.5 lakh polling stations."

As per the ECI, "The largest-ever global delegation of 75 observers from 23 countries was thrilled by India's Electoral Marvel, which showcased unparalleled scale, meticulous planning, and integrity in the conduct of elections."

In terms of seizures, the ECI said it recovered a record number of seizures, reaching almost ₹10,000 crore, which is nearly three times the value seized in 2019. "We have cracked down heavily on inducements in any form, a trend set since the state assembly elections in November-December 2022."

He says in line with its zero-tolerance policy on drugs, the ECI seized drugs worth ₹4,391 crore. "Over 90% of 495 major complaints disposed. Notices to several top leaders, FIR against many, and transfer of top officials to sanitise election space," says Kumar.

The Election Commission says around 4.56 lakh violations were received on cVigil during the MCC period, with the highest at 3.48 lakh regarding posters or banners without permission. cVIGIL is a mobile application developed by the EC to enable citizens to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct.

Besides, the commission leveraged technology to facilitate voters. "620 million searches have been requested on ECI Search Portals on poll day which retrieves information about voters’ polling booths & names on the electoral rolls."

To fight misinformation, the ECI says a collaborative approach was adopted including DMs, SPs, and field officers on the ground, along with initiatives like "myth vs reality register". "Except for a few cases, there weren't many instances of doctored, edited, or synthetically AI-generated content. ECI also issued advisories to parties for the ethical use of social media."

On Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's allegations that Home Minister Amit Shah called DMs/ROs (returning officers), the ECI issued a statement, saying no DM has reported any such undue influence as alleged by him. "As you are aware, the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt." CEC Rajiv Kumar says it is not right to spread rumours and doubt all the DMs or ROs have been influenced.