LS poll winners won average of 50.58 pc of votes polled, 2 pc drop from last elections: ADR

NEW DELHI: The winners of Lok Sabha elections 2024 won an average of 50.58 per cent votes, down by 2 per cent as compared to the last general elections, according to an analysis by the poll rights body ADR.

Among the elected MPs with declared criminal cases, 42 per cent won with a vote share of 50 per cent and above, the ADR report said.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have released a comprehensive analysis of the vote share in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, examining 542 out of 543 constituencies. The Surat constituency in Gujarat was excluded from the analysis as its candidate was elected unopposed.

Winners in the 2024 elections secured an average of 50.58 per cent of the total votes polled, a decrease from 52.65 per cent in 2019.

Notably, 279 winners (51 per cent) achieved more than half of the total votes in their constituencies, while 263 winners (49 per cent) failed to reach the half-way mark.

Among the major parties, the BJP had 75 out of 239 winners (31 per cent) securing less than 50 per cent of the vote share. For the Congress, 57 out of 99 winners (58 per cent) won with less than 50 per cent votes.

Among regional parties, 32 out of 37 winners (86 per cent) from Samajwadi Party, 21 out of 29 winners (72 per cent) from All India Trinamool Congress, and 14 out of 22 winners (64 per cent) from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won with less than 50 per cent of the vote share.

Out of the 251 winners with declared criminal cases, 106 (42 per cent) won with a vote share of 50 per cent and above, while 173 out of 291 winners (59 per cent) with clean backgrounds secured more than 50 per cent of the vote share.

Among the 503 crorepati winners, 262 (52 per cent) won with a vote share of 50 per cent and above, while 17 out of 39 non-crorepati winners (44 per cent) achieved the same.

The winners of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 represent, on average, 33.44 per cent of the total electorate, down from the 35.46 per cent in 2019. This indicates a decrease in the representativeness of elected candidates when compared to the number of eligible voters.

Five winners had a margin of victory of less than 2,000 votes, and another five won with more than a 50 per cent margin of victory.

Notable victories include Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) from Vidisha, with a 56.43 per cent margin, and Shankar Lalwani (BJP) from Indore, with a 64.54 per cent margin.

Among the 542 winners, 74 were women. Kriti Devi Debbarman (BJP) from Tripura East secured the highest vote share among women winners, with 68.54 per cent of votes and a 42.92 per cent margin of victory.

Out of 214 re-elected winners, 101 (47 per cent) won with more than 50 per cent of the vote share. However, 92 re-elected winners had a margin of victory of less than 10 per cent, with three exceeding a 50 per cent margin.

The None of the Above (NOTA) option saw 0.99 per cent of the total votes in 2024, down from 1.06 per cent in 2019 and 1.12 per cent in 2014. This trend indicates a gradual decline in the use of the NOTA option by voters.

The voter turnout for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was recorded at 66.12 per cent, a slight decrease from the 67.35 per cent turnout in the 2019 elections.