New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- India adopted universal adult franchise from the beginning. The first general election, held in 1951-52, was an extraordinary democratic experiment for a newly independent, largely poor and predominantly rural country. There were 17.32 crore registered electors, and turnout was 45.67 per cent.

By the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the electorate had expanded to 97.98 crore and 64.64 crore votes were polled. Turnout was 66.10 per cent.

In the last eight decades, Indian elections have evolved from an exercise involving a few hundred million people to a gigantic logistical operation involving nearly one billion voters.

The first elections were conducted entirely through paper ballots. Over time, technology transformed the ...