LS Poll counting: Fate of 8,040 candidates to be decided today

The fate of as many as 8,040 candidates will be decided on Thursday when the counting of votes polled for the 17th Lok Sabha elections is done. Around 90 crore voters were eligible to vote in this Lok Sabha polls which were held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. As many as 13 crore of them were first-time voters. According to the Election Commission of India data, 67.11 per cent voters exercised their right to franchise. This was the highest turnout in the Lok Sabha polls since independence.

Voting took place at 10.35 lakh polling stations across 36 states and Union Territories. Around a million polling staff was engaged in the smooth conduct of elections. Ladakh (17,73,266 sq km) was the largest Lok Sabha constituency in terms of area, while Chandi Chowk (10 sq km) in Delhi was the smallest. Largest Lok Sabha constituency in terms of voters was Malkajgiri (31,83,325 voters) in Andhra Pradesh while the smallest parliamentary constituency was Lakshadweep, which had 43,239 registered voters in 2014.

As many as three lakh paramilitary personnel along with 20 lakh state police personnel were deployed for the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls. Around 3,000 companies of paramilitary forces from CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, and SSB were deployed in these elections. According to Union Home Ministry, the deployment was the highest ever made in India.