Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal on Friday said that more than 23 lakh new voters have been added in the state’s electoral voter list during the period from 2019 to 2024.

Agarwal, presiding over a meeting on election arrangements with department officers at his office, said that the announcement of 2024 Lok Sabha general elections could be made by the Election Commission at any time. In preparation for these elections, all the Chief Electoral Officers of states and Union Territories are fully engaged in election preparations, he added.

He further said that in Haryana, a total of 1.98 crore (1,98,23,168) voters will be eligible to participate in these elections. Moreover, during the meeting, it was informed that the number of voters in the 18 to 19 age group is 3,63,491, including 2,43,133 male voters and 1,20,339 female voters, who will be participating in the electoral process for the first time.

Similarly, the number of voters in the age group of 100 to 109 is 10,759, and there are 41 voters above the age of 120, out of which eight voters are from Gurugram. During the period from 2019 to 2024, more than 23 lakh new voters have been added, he said adding that the final publication of this voter list was done on January 22, 2024.

He further said that this voter list has been made available to all political parties' representatives. “If they believe that there are names of ineligible voters included in it or the name of any eligible voter is missing, they can provide this information to the respective District Election Officer's office in Forms 6, 7, and 8,” CEO added.

To ensure no violation of the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha general elections 2024, the Election Commission has developed the C-Vigil app, which functions as the third eye of the Election Commission, he added. Any reports of malpractice can be updated on this app, and the identity of the reporter remains confidential. The usage of this app is very easy. Any common citizen can report violations of the Model Code of Conduct by providing photos, audios, videos via their mobile phones. This app can be downloaded from any app store, the CEO added.

Over 2.12-cr Voters to elect Candidates Across 13 Constituencies

With a staggering 2.12 crore (2,12,71,246) voters registered across 13 constituencies, Punjab’s electoral dynamics promise to be intense and closely contested.

The state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C, unveiling the latest voter statistics on Friday, revealed a total of 1.19 crore (1,19,29,959) male voters, 1.07 crore (1,07,75,543) female voters, and 744 transgender voters ready to exercise their democratic rights during the impending Lok Sabha polls — the dates for which is scheduled to be announced on Saturday by the national poll panel. This extensive electorate will be served by a network of 24,433 polling stations meticulously set up across the State's electoral map.

Patiala emerged as the constituency with the highest number of voters, boasting a significant count of over 17.87 lakhs (17,87,747) registered electors. In contrast, Fatehgarh Sahib records the lowest voter count, with 15.39 lakhs (15,39,155) individuals eligible to cast their votes. Patiala also has maximum of 2077 polling stations, while Amritsar has the lowest number of polling booths with 1676.

Of the total 13 seats, four are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates—Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Faridkot, and Fatehgarh Sahib.

In the previous 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress secured eight seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including BJP and the SAD, clinched four. The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a formidable contender, securing one seat in its maiden electoral outing in Punjab, added an extra dimension to the state’s political landscape. As of now, Congress has eight MPs in Lok Sabha, SAD two, BJP, AAP and SAD (Amritsar-Mann) one each.

Among other constituencies, Gurdaspur has 1895 polling stations and a total of 15,95,300 voters; Amritsar has 1676 polling stations and 15,93,846 voters; Khadoor Sahib has 1974 polling stations and 16,55,468 voters; Jalandhar (SC) has 1951 polling stations and 16,41,872 voters; Hoshiarpur (SC) has 1963 polling stations and 15,93,018 voters; Sri Anandpur Sahib has 2066 polling stations and 17,11,255 voters; Ludhiana has 1842 polling stations and 17,28,619 voters; Faridkot (SC) has 1688 polling stations and 1,578,937 voters; Firozpur has 1902 polling stations and 16,57,131 voters; Bathinda seat has 1814 polling stations and 16,38,881 voters; and Sangrur has 1765 polling stations and 15,50,017 voters.