 held a press conference in Delhi. During this press conference the CEC Mr. Rajiv Kumar......){kind=link}
Yesterday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) held a press conference in Delhi. During this press conference the CEC Mr. Rajiv Kumar responded to the viral “Laapataa Gentlemen” remark.
He said, “Social media meme pages are calling us ‘Laapataa Gentlemen’. But we were never laapataa (missing), we were always here.” During this press briefing the ECI countered various allegations while asserting their commitment towards effective communication.
While addressing the press, CEC Mr Kumar, said that all the issues raised by multi-party delegations have been addressed. Regarding the Congress’s demand for poll ballot, the ECI clarified that the poll ballot are always counted first.
Moreover, the ECI took the opportunity to commend the voters for participating in this festival of democracy.
Creating Records…
The CEC, Mr. Rajiv Kumar, highlighted that in this Lok Sabha Elections, India recorded the highest voter turnout in the world. He referred to the entire democratic exercise and people’s participation a “miracle.” The CEC gave a standing ovation to all those who participated in this festival of democracy.
Mr. Kumar said, “We have created a world record of 642 million voters. This is the historic moment for all of us. This is 1.5 times the voters of all G7 countries and 2.5 times voters of 27 countries in the European Union (EU). We thank each and every one who took part in this festival of democracy. The Indian elections are indeed a miracle. Having no parallel in the world.”
Furthermore, the CEC highlighted that in this Lok Sabha election, 312 million women casted their votes. This is an achievement in itself, for it is- 1.25 times the women voters of 27 EU countries in their national elections. In other words, the figure of women voters in India is 1.25 times higher than that of 27 EU countries. This is reflective of an inclusive democratic exercise.
CEC Kumar stated, “The contribution of voters aged 85 and above is inspiring for our younger generation. They are the heroes of our democracy. They have witnessed India before independence and have shaped this country with their contributions over the past 70 years.”
He further added that due to the meticulous efforts of all officials involved. In this Lok Sabha elections only 39 repolls were held, compared to 540 in 2019. Moreover, 25 out of the 30 repolls were only 2 states.
Another remarkable achievement was that Jammu and Kashmir registered the highest ever voter turnout of 58.58% in four decades.
M1,M2,M3 And M4…
The CEC highlighted that during this election, the 4M’s, i.e., Muscle, Money Misinformation and MCC were well tackled.
The ECI highlighted the fact that the elections were almost violence free and concluded in a peaceful manner. Be it, LWE areas, Manipur, J&K or West Bengal, actions were swiftly taken to ensure peaceful elections.
Furthermore, around 102 villages of Bastar voted for the first time at PS in their own villages. In fact, the severely Naxal affected PCs of Kanker and Bastar recorded an upward trend in poll participation.
CEC Rajiv Kumar said, “Election Commission made a record seizure record of almost Rs 10,000 crores during this election. This is nearly 3 times the value seized in 2019…Local teams were empowered to do their work.”
The ECI highlighted that during 2024 Lok Sabha elections over 90% of the 495 major complaints received of MCC violations were disposed. Throughout the election cycle there was less violence, noise, clutter and inducement.
The CEC also explained the counting process which will be followed today. He said, “The entire counting process is absolutely robust. It works similar to the precision of a clock.”
So far, as per the exit polls, the BJP- led NDA is all set to make a hat-trick win with huge majority. The exit polls indicated an improvement in its 2019 performance wherein it secured 352 seats. Some of these exit polls indicate that the BJP will surpass its own record of 303 seats.
If these estimates turn out to be true and BJP secures a clear majority. Then Prime Minister Modi will be create history by being the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to win three consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha elections.