Women Outshine Men in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections With 65.79% Voter Turnout In 19 Of 36 States/UTs

New Delhi: The 2024 Lok Sabha elections witnessed an overall turnout of 65.79%, slightly lower than the 2019 turnout. Constituency-wise EVM turnout data for 2024 general election data shows that 204 parliamentary constituencies had a higher turnout by women electors. The last three phases recorded a higher female voting percentage, with Phase 7 clocking 64.7% women turnout as against 63.1% among men. According to Election Commission data released on Thursday showed women beat men in terms of turnouts in 19 of the 36 states and Union Territories (UTs), but at the national level, men with a polling percentage of 65.8% were a tad ahead of women with 65.7%  Interestingly, voters in the ‘other genders’ category showed a significant increase in turnout from 14.64% in 2019 to 27.08% in 2024.

In 2019 elections, female voter turnout at 67.2% had exceeded the 67% polling among male electors. As many as 17 states and UTs had witnessed higher turnouts by men as compared to their male counterparts.

To be sure, these figures only account for those who voted at polling stations and do not include those who voted via postal ballots.

State-wise statistics

States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh showcased higher female voter participation. For instance, Bihar witnessed a female turnout of 59.39% compared to the male turnout of 53.28%, consistent with previous trends.

Gujarat stood out with a considerable gap between male and female turnout, recording 63.52% and 56.56% respectively. Meghalaya, on the other hand, saw a remarkable 100% turnout in the ‘other genders’ category. However, Bihar reported the lowest overall turnout among states and Union territories at 56.19%.

Out of the 523 Lok Sabha seats, 351 observed a decrease in turnout from the previous elections. Nagaland experienced the most significant decline of 25.35 percentage points, while Shillong saw the highest increase at 8.33 percentage points.

The Election Commission assured that detailed statistical reports, including postal votes and gross voter turnout, will be released soon. The electoral process concluded with the submission of the list of elected Members of Parliament to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Additionally, the Model Code of Conduct, in place since March 16, was lifted post the election results announcement.