The ongoing Lok Sabha elections in 2024 have witnessed a voter turnout of approximately 66.95 per cent across polling stations during the first four phases, with around 451 million people casting their votes.
To encourage voter participation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its efforts to reach out to every eligible voter. Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of states going to poll in the fifth, sixth, and seventh phases to ensure timely distribution of voter information slips and enhance outreach activities.
CEC Rajiv Kumar emphasized the importance of collaboration in the voter awareness program, noting the enthusiastic participation of various institutions, influencers, and celebrities on a pro-bono basis. He highlighted that a higher voter turnout would send a strong message from Indian voters to the world about the strength of Indian democracy.
Various voter awareness drives and campaigns have been conducted by stakeholders in collaboration with ECI. Telecom Service Providers such as BSNL, Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone-Idea are reaching out to mobile users in parliamentary constituencies through SMS, calls, RCS messaging, and WhatsApp messages.
ECI has partnered with the BCCI for voter awareness activities during the ongoing IPL season, with voter awareness messages and songs played at stadiums. Cricketers from IPL teams have also recorded messages encouraging voters to participate in the elections.
Additionally, voter awareness messages are integrated into cricket commentary. Google India is contributing through Google Doodle on poll days and banners on YouTube and other platforms. Retail Association of India is engaging in voter awareness through its retail network, and post offices and banking institutions are used to reach a diverse audience.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, voter awareness messages have been integrated with the IRCTC portal and inflight announcements on airlines. Cinema theatres are playing ECI voter awareness films, and Sansad TV is creating short films on unique polling stations.
Various brands and platforms such as AMUL, Mother Dairy, Prasar Bharati, Spotify, PhonePe, BookMyShow, MakeMyTrip, Zomato, Swiggy, Uber, Rapido, Urban Company, Tata Neu, Truecaller, Mankind Pharma, Neeru’s, Tinder, Jeevansathi.com, Shoppers’ Stop, and others are actively promoting voter awareness through their services and campaigns.
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to conclude on June 1, with results announced on June 4. The remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1.