India has pulled off an unprecedented electoral feat by holding the largest general elections in world history for the 18th Lok Sabha. The massive exercise saw a staggering 642 million voters turn out across the country, as stated by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
"We have created a world record of 642 million proud Indian voters. This is a historic moment for all of us and for the nation as a whole, ever anywhere in the world in any electoral exercise!" Kumar declared.
This voter turnout is over 1.5 times the total voters in G7 countries and 2.5 times that of the 27 European Union nations combined. A remarkable 312 million of these voters were women, outnumbering the entire electorate of the EU by over 25%.
The gargantuan election mobilization involved the deployment of 1.5 crore polling and security personnel, 135 special trains, 4 lakh vehicles, 1,692 air sorties, and 68,763 monitoring teams across India.
Several states witnessed record participation, with Jammu and Kashmir registering its highest voter turnout in 40 years at 58.58% overall and 51.05% in the valley. Indigenous communities like the Shompen tribes of Great Nicobar Islands voted for the first time, reflecting the robust inclusion of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and Scheduled Tribes.
The Election Commission hosted 75 international observers from 23 countries, who visited states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh to witness the historic democratic exercise firsthand.
As counting continues, India has yet again demonstrated its operational mastery in conducting the world's largest democratic franchise while ensuring maximum participatory representation.
