Madhya Pradesh is set to vote today to elect its Assembly, with all 230 seats participating in a single-phase election. The voting for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election 2023 will commence at 7 am. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), there are 5.6 crore voters spread across 230 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.
Out of these, 2.88 crore are male voters, and 2.72 crore are female voters. Notably, 22.36 lakh youths will be casting their votes for the first time in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election 2023.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar shed light on the Madhya Pradesh elections, emphasizing the distribution of 5.6 crore voters across 230 constituencies. Within this electorate, 2.88 crore are male voters, and 2.72 crore are female voters. Significantly, 22.36 lakh youths are poised to participate in their first-ever voting experience.
Kumar underlined that approximately 60 lakh first-time voters aged 18-19 will engage in the elections across the five states nationwide. The recent amendment on qualifying dates has rendered 15.39 lakh young voters eligible to participate.
Why women voters are important
The recent decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Madhya Pradesh government to enhance benefits for women under the Ladi Behna Yojna scheme has brought attention to the pivotal women vote base in the state. The BJP’s declaration of subsidized cooking gas and increased reservation in government jobs as “Rakshabandhan gifts” is seen as a strategic move to attract women voters in the upcoming elections. However, it’s not just the BJP; the Congress has also pledged Rs 1,500 per month to every woman in the state if it secures power in this year’s assembly polls
The focus on women by political parties is rooted in the fact that women constitute a substantial portion of the nation’s population. Political experts suggest that several factors contribute to this shift in focus towards women during elections and in party manifestos. These reasons include the following:
Women constitute nearly 50 % of the vote base:
The sheer size of the female voting population makes them a crucial demographic for political parties.
Rising Literacy Levels
Increasing literacy levels among women and girls empower them to make independent and informed decisions, shaping their political preferences.
Schemes and Promises
Political parties are aligning their manifestos with schemes and promises specifically targeting women, recognizing the impact of such initiatives on voter sentiment.
The growing interest of political parties in pledging specific initiatives for women is directly correlated with the rise in the percentage of women participating in elections. According to data from the Election Commission of India, between 1962 and 2017/18, women’s voter turnout in state assembly elections surged by a notable 27 percent.
STEPS TO FIND YOUR POLLING BOOTH
- Go to https://voters.eci.gov.in/
- Find “know your polling station and officer” and click on it, you will be directed to another page
- On the new page, enter your EPIC number and captcha code and hit “search”
- The names of your polling officers and polling booth will be displayed on the screen
But what if you don’t have your EPIC number? To get your EPIC number, follow the below steps - Go to https://voters.eci.gov.in/
- Find “search in electoral roll” on the top right of the website and click on it.
- Enter your state and select the language on the form shown on the screen
- Add your first name and surname; add your relative’s first name and surname
- Add your date of birth and gender
