Gender bender . Women voters outnumber men in 5th phase of polling: ECI

Women have out-voted men in the fifth phase of elections for 49 parliamentary constituencies which recorded an overall 62.2 per cent voter turnout, as per the revised estimates shared by the Election Commission of India on Thursday. While female voter turnout was 63 per cent, 61.48 per cent men exercised their franchise in six States and two Union Territories on Monday. The third gender voter turnout was 21.96 per cent, the ECI pointed out.

The overall voter turnout, however, was slightly higher compared to the fifth phase of polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which stood at 62 per cent.

“It is pertinent to mention that repolls at two polling stations in 13- Kandhamal PC (parliamentary constituency) in Odisha will be concluded today and the figures may get further updated accordingly once the data is updated for the repoll, which can be seen in the voter turnout app,” the Commission said.

The ECI, which has been making comprehensive efforts to increase footfalls at polling booths despite unprecedented scorching heat, stated that final turnout will only be available post-counting of postal ballots and its addition to the total vote count.

A comparative analysis of male to female voter turnout percentage revealed that some of the Hindi speaking states performed better in polling in eight states and UTs .

Jharkhand topped the list, with 10.57 per cent more women voters inking their mandate than males, followed by Bihar 9.16 per cent, Odisha 2.49 per cent, Uttar Pradesh .91 per cent and Ladakh .76 percent.

On the other hand, 6.89 per cent more males voted than females in Jammu and Kashmir, while it was 2.96 per cent in Maharashtra, and .05 per cent in West Bengal.

Thirteen Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, fourteen in UP, seven in West Bengal, five each in Bihar and Odisha, three in Jharkhand, and one each in J&K and Ladakh went to polls in the fifth phase of voting.

For the first time, the trend of reversing gender ratio in voting began from the last general elections of 2019. Total women voters’ turnout of 67.18 per cent marginally exceeded that of males which was recorded at 67.02 per cent in the last general elections.

The registration of women voters for the on-going polls saw a spike of 7.5 per cent, from 438 million in 2019 to 471 million in 2024. While the increase of registered male voters was five per cent.

Thursday’s ECI data too flagged that maximum voter turn out of ‘Others’, which is the third gender, was in West Bengal at 38.22 per cent, with Jharkhand closely trailing at 37.50 per cent, Maharashtra 24.16 per cent, Odisha 22.09 per cent, J&K 17.65 per cent, UP 14.81 per cent and Bihar 6 per cent. No data on ‘Others’ was available for Ladakh.

Though the Commission has been making conscious efforts since 1994 to increase voters of the transgender community, the Supreme Court stepped in through a landmark judgement in 2014 to recognise their fundamental rights by identifying them as a third gender or “other” in the electoral rolls.