Polling Stations in India from 1st Lok Sabha Election to 18th Lok Sabha Election

The first general election in 1951-52 was conducted with 196,084 polling stations across the country. By 2024, this number had grown more than fivefold to 1,052,664 stations—a remarkable expansion that reflects both population growth and the Election Commission of India’s efforts to make voting more accessible. The growth trajectory of polling stations shows several periods of significant expansion. Between 1967 and 1971, there was a substantial 41% increase from 243,693 to 342,918 stations. Another major expansion occurred between 1991-92 and 1996 when the number jumped by approximately 30% from 591,020 to 767,462. The most recent significant growth phase occurred between 2004 and 2019 when India added over 350,000 new polling stations, representing more than a 50% increase in just fifteen years.

Interestingly, the average number of electors per polling station has remained relatively stable despite the enormous growth in the total electorate. In 1951-52, each polling station served an average of 883 voters. By 2024, this figure stood at 931—only a modest 5.4% increase over seven decades despite the electorate growing from about 173 million to nearly 980 million. This remarkable stability suggests a deliberate policy of expanding polling infrastructure in proportion to electorate growth to maintain manageable voter loads. There have been fluctuations in the average voter load, with peaks in 1967 (1,027 voters per station) and 2004 (977 voters per station) and lower figures in 1996 (772 voters per station) and 1984-85 (791 voters per station). These variations likely reflect both policy changes and practical considerations in electoral management. The Election Commission appears to have generally aimed to keep the average load below 1,000 voters per station, likely to ensure efficient processing and minimize wait times.

The extensive network of over a million polling stations for the 2024 election represents one of the most elaborate electoral infrastructures in the world, designed to bring the ballot box within convenient reach of nearly a billion voters spread across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. This steady expansion of polling stations, maintaining a relatively consistent voter-to-station ratio despite massive population growth, demonstrates India’s commitment to facilitating universal franchise by making voting physically accessible to all eligible citizens.