Male voters dominate Capital electorate

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, March 17

Male voters continue to dominate the electoral landscape of the Capital, surpassing female voters in all seven seats, while the number of young voters has significantly risen in the electoral roll of 2024.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, with all seven seats of the Capital scheduled to go to polls on May 25. Gurugram and Faridabad will also go to the polls alongside Delhi on May 25, while Noida and Ghaziabad are slated for the second phase on April 26.

Female voters have seen an increase in numbers according to the latest data from the ECI. Nationally, female voters have increased by 9.3 per cent compared to 2019, while in Delhi, it rose by 4.4 per cent. In 2019, there were 6,442,762 female voters, which rose to 67,30,371 in 2024.

Regarding gender ratio, Delhi saw an increase of only five points from 838 (2019) to 843 (2024), which is lower than the national average that rose from 928 in 2019 to 948 in 2024.

Among the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, New Delhi constituency witnessed a decrease in the number of female voters by 6.7 per cent. In 2019, there were 7,20,891 female voters in the constituency, which decreased to 6,72,544 in 2024. However, the remaining six constituencies saw an increase: Chandni Chowk (4.2 per cent), northeast Delhi (5.4 per cent), east Delhi (3.1 per cent), northwest Delhi (5.6 per cent), west Delhi (6.5 per cent) and south Delhi (9.8 per cent).

The New Delhi seat has become the smallest seat in the Capital, comprising a total of 14,81,338 voters, including 8,08,721 males, 6,72,544 females and 73 third gender. In the 2019 General Election, Chandni Chowk held the distinction of being the smallest parliamentary seat with 15,61,828 voters — 8,48,303 males, 7,13,393 females and 132 third gender individuals.

The Delhi Cantonment (Cantt) Assembly constituency has the lowest number of voters with 37,298 males, 29,614 females and two third gender individuals, totalling 66,914 voters.

67,930 youth added to rolls

The enrolment of young voters in the 18-19 age group has seen a significant increase, with a total of 67,930 young voters added to the electoral rolls of Delhi. This constitutes 26.7 per cent of the total addition of 2,54,470 names.

Data indicates that the enrolment of young voters has risen by 9.69 per cent. In an effort to boost the enrolment of young voters, the EC has proposed that prospective electors who will attain the age of 18 years on April 1, July 1 or October 1 of this year can file advance claims for inclusion of their names in the electoral roll.

Thus, before the 2024 General Election, new young voters could be added to the list. In Delhi alone, 9,335 prospective electors have applied for registration in the electoral rolls, according to the data.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “This time, the number of young voters in the Lok Sabha elections is 1.8 crore, and this number could increase further. The EC has received forms from 1.34 million youths whose age is not yet 18, but they will be eligible to vote by the time of elections.”

With the Lok Sabha elections set to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, the Election Commission estimates that around five to six lakh youths can be added to the voter list from these 1.34 million youths.

Gender ratio a concern

• Nationally, female voters have increased by 9.3 per cent compared to 2019, while in Delhi, it rose by 4.4 per cent
• Regarding gender ratio, Delhi saw an increase of only five points from 838 (2019) to 843 (2024)
• New Delhi constituency has witnessed a decrease in the number of female voters by 6.7 per cent; the remaining six constituencies saw an increase

Third gender: 1,176

For the third gender, there has been a significant increase from the 2019 General Election, where 669 voters were eligible. This year, the number has increased to 1,176. The third gender has recorded the highest number of electors in the south Delhi seat, with 339 voters, followed by 238 in northwest Delhi, 160 in Chandni Chowk, 144 in northeast Delhi, 116 in east Delhi and 106 in west Delhi, with the lowest recorded in New Delhi, comprising 73 voters.