Lok Sabha elections: Unlike first 4 phases, women voter turnout more than men in Phase 5

This time, of the eight states and UTs where polling was held in the fifth phase, only three – Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and West Bengal — recorded lower turnout of women voters.

Voters stands in queue at Jyotirmay Yubajan Vidya kendram in Titagarh under the Barrackpore constituency during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

While the fifth phase recorded an overall turnout of 62.2 per cent — a slight increase from the 61.82 per cent polling in the same seats in 2019 – 63 per cent of women electors and 61.48 per cent of men electors cast their votes.

Reversing past trends, the overall turnout of women voters (67.18 per cent) was marginally higher as compared to men (67.02 per cent) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the EC, over 8.95 crore electors — 4.69 crore men, 4.26 crore women and 5,409 third gender — were eligible to vote in the fifth phase.

In the earlier four phases, the turnout of men voters was higher than that of women (see box). The difference between the men and women voter turnouts was 0.15 percentage points in the first phase, 0.57 percentage points in the second phase, 2.48 percentage points in the third phase, and 0.85 percentage points in the fourth phase.

Of the 49 constituencies that voted in the fifth phase, the turnout of women voters was higher in 24 constituencies, of which 22 had recorded the same trend in 2019 too.

Among the constituencies with higher women turnout in both 2019 and 2024 were: Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Hajipur in Bihar; Chatra, Kodarma and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand; and Raebareli, Amethi, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Faizabad, Kaiserganj, Gonda and Bangaon in Uttar Pradesh.

The gap was particularly wide in Bihar, where the turnout of women voters was 61.58 per cent as compared to the turnout of men voters at 52.42 per cent, and Jharkhand with 68.65 per cent women turnout and 58.08 per cent men turnout. In Kodarma (Jharkhand), the difference was as high as 15.85 percentage points (women turnout 70 per cent; men turnout 54.15 per cent), as compared to 9.97 percentage points in 2019.

Overall, the turnout increased in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Maharashtra and Odisha as compared to polling in these seats in 2019, while Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal recorded a dip.

In 2019 too, 24 of the 49 seats had recorded higher women turnout. However, two of these 24 seats — Hamirpur (UP) and Sundargarh (Odisha) – reversed the trend this time. On the other hand, Hooghly and Uluberia in West Bengal, where the turnout of men voters was higher in 2019, recorded a marginally higher women turnout this time.

Overall, the turnout increased in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Maharashtra and Odisha as compared to polling in these seats in 2019, while Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal recorded a dip. Of the 49 constituencies, 27 saw a dip in turnout while 22 saw an increase, including Baramulla, where the turnout increased from 34.3 per cent in 2019 to 59.1 per cent this time. The turnout in Amethi and Raebareli also saw a marginal increase. In Mumbai North, the turnout fell from 59.97 per cent in 2019 to 57.02 per cent this time.

The first three phases of the Lok Sabha elections saw a dip in turnout as compared to 2019. In the first phase on April 19, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent, down from 69.29 per cent in 2019. In the second phase on April 26, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnout was 66.71 per cent, down from 69.43 per cent in 2019. In the third phase on May 7, across 93 constituencies, the final turnout was 65.68 per cent as compared to 66.58 per cent in 2019.

But polling increased in the fourth phase on May 13, when the 96 constituencies that went to polls recorded 69.16 per cent turnout, up from 68.8 per cent turnout in these seats in 2019.

In its statement, the EC said the fifth phase turnout could be updated, as repoll was conducted in two polling stations of Kandhamal (Odisha) on Thursday. “Final turnout will only be available post-counting, with counting of postal ballots and its addition to total vote count,” the EC said.