Record 64.2 cr people voted in LS polls, says CEC Rajiv Kumar
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New Delhi: India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press briefing, he said over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel were involved in the world's largest electoral exercise.
He also dared the opposition to share evidence of allegations that returning officers and district magistrates were influenced to vitiate the poll process so the panel could take action against them.
“India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year," said Kumar.
He decried the memes that called the three-man commission 'Laapataa Gentlemen' (Missing Gentlemen, a play on the recently released Hindi film 'Laapataa Ladies') and said, "We were always here, never went missing. Now memes can say the 'Laapataa Gentlemen' are back."
Kumar said that nearly 4 lakh vehicles, 135 special trains and 1,692 air sorties were used for conducting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "Only 39 repolls took place in the 2024 general elections as against 540 repolls in 2019," he said.
Show us the proof
Kumar said the opposition should tell the Commission about those trying to influence the poll process before the counting of votes begins. He was flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu when he addressed the media.
"You cannot spread a rumour and bring everyone under a cloud of suspicion," Kumar said.
Taking exception to allegations that district magistrates were being influenced, the CEC said,
"Those levelling allegations should say which DM was influenced and we will punish them. They should tell us before the counting process begins."
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah had been calling district magistrates and collectors and indulging in "blatant and brazen" intimidation.
District magistrates and collectors are the returning officers of their respective districts during the election.
Ramesh claimed that Shah spoke to 150 district magistrates or collectors.
However, Kumar admitted that the Commission had failed to counter the mischievous narratives spread during the poll process.
(With PTI inputs)