Over 1.5 crore people eligible to vote in Delhi, 8.85 lakh more than 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Over 15 million voters in the national capital, exceeding 885,000 voters from the previous polls, are eligible to vote on May 25, the election officials said.

Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Krishnamurthy said among the voters, 252,000 are first-time voters. Over 8.2 million voters are men, and more than 6.9 million are women, he said.

The number of third genders in this election is 1,228, he added.

The Election Commission has made facilities available at more than 13,000 polling stations across 2,627 locations. The gender ratio has also increased by 33 points to 851 this time from 818 in 2019, the election officials said.

According to the election office, a total of 1,733 cases were reported on the cVIGIL application, and the authorities have disposed of 1,480 among them. Furthermore, of the reported cases, 252 have been dropped, and only one case is pending, it said.

As the electoral process progresses, 265 candidates have filed 367 nominations. The deadline for the withdrawal of nominations is May 9.

Through the cVIGIL application of the Election Commission, citizens can report violations of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls such as hate speeches by politicians or the distribution of money and liquor.

The electoral population ratio has decreased from 72 percent to 69 percent. The number of overseas electors, service, and PwD (persons with disabilities) voters have increased from 369 to 650, 11,005 to 12,702, and 40,532 to 77,480 respectively, the election office said.

All preparations are in full swing for the Lok Sabha elections to be held on May 25, and comprehensive guidelines have been issued to the concerned district election officers to ensure a smooth and successful election process, he said.

Krishnamurthy highlighted a significant increase of 6.19 percent (15,201,936) in the number of voters, with the number of male voters pegged at 8,212,794 and female voters 6,987,914 in Delhi.

There has also been a notable surge in first-time voters, with 252,038 new voters added, marking the highest figure in the past five years.

“Moreover, there has been a commendable improvement in the gender ratio, witnessing a 33-point increase from 818 to 851 within the last five years. Efforts to include transgender and third-gender voters have been fruitful, with the voter count rising from 669 to 1,228 since the last general election,” he stated.

With 13,637 and four auxiliary — including 2,891 critical — polling stations at 2,627 locations to be set up in Delhi, 70 pink booths will also be set up, which will be handled by women officials only. Along with this, 70 model polling booths will be set up similarly, the officer said.

Over one lakh polling personnel will be engaged for the Lok Sabha polls. Additionally, 46 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, 78,578 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards will be deployed for security arrangements across all polling stations in the city, Krishnamurthy said.

A total of 6,833 polling stations will undergo direct monitoring by the chief election officer’s office and district election officers through a webcast, ensuring transparency and accountability in the electoral process, he said.

According to the data, the West Delhi constituency has the highest number of voters 2,587,977 (1,370,398 male and 1,217,448 female), followed by Northwest Delhi 2,567,423, Northeast Delhi 2,463,159, South Delhi 2,291,764, East Delhi 2,120,584, Chandni Chowk 1,645,958, and New Delhi 1,525,071.

In the 2019 general elections, the highest number of voters — 2,377,604 — were in the Northwest Delhi constituency, the data stated, adding that there were 184,075 voters above 80 years of age.

There are 97,823 voters who are over 85 years old, and 77,480 PwD voters, it said.

In anticipation of possible heat waves on the day of voting, adequate arrangements have been made to ensure the comfort and safety of the voters so that no voter feels any kind of discomfort due to the projected heat wave conditions on the polling day.

The election office has arranged 4,000 wheelchairs for the PwD voters. The pick-and-drop facilities for the senior citizens and PwD electors, sign language interpreters, posters to facilitate the deaf and hard of hearing voters, Braille/dummy ballot papers, and voter assistance guide in Braille for the blind voters would also be there, the election office said.

“With a total of 8,000 volunteers, arrangements have been made for pick-up and drop-off facilities for the differently-abled and senior citizen voters. There will be 4,000 wheelchairs at the polling stations to facilitate their participation in the electoral process,” they said.

The CEO expressed confidence in the preparedness of all stakeholders and called for the active participation of citizens in exercising their democratic right to vote.

Polling for seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held in the sixth phase on May 25. (With inputs from PTI)