Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 5 Things To Remember As A First-Time Voter

It's election season now in Mumbai as the city will cast their vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. 

There are a total of 99.4 lakh registered voters in Mumbai. Of which, only 1.1% of Mumbai’s electorate falls under the age group of 18 and 19, who will be voting for the first time.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Akbar Pathan, released a notification on May 15 outlining the voting procedures for Mumbai residents ahead of the election day. He conveyed that there is a ban on bringing cell phones or other electronic gadgets into the polling booth.

South Mumbai, South Central Mumbai, North Central Mumbai, North East Mumbai, North West Mumbai, and North Mumbai are the city's six constituencies. The Mumbai police released the rules in an effort to maintain public peace and prevent disturbances or obstructions during the voting process in all of the seats.

Voters, especially first-time voters, should follow the below-mentioned guidelines:

1. On election day, between 6 am and 12 am, people who are not directly involved in election activities are permitted to be within a 100-meter radius of any voting place. Within the designated perimeter of polling places located throughout Mumbai, they will not be permitted to stay around, participate in, or organise any kind of congregation or gathering on highway roads, street lanes, bye-lanes, or any other public area.
2. Outside voting places, men's and women's lines will be separated. Under the direction of the presiding officer, voters will be admitted in a sequential manner according to where they are in the queue.
3. Except for authorised election and law enforcement personnel, voters will not be permitted to carry or use cell phones, wireless sets, or other electronic devices inside the 100-meter radius surrounding polling places.
4. Additionally, the standards forbid putting up election-related materials, such as banners or posters, within a hundred metres of polling places.
5. It is also forbidden to use megaphones or loudspeakers in this area in order to protect the integrity of the voting process and avoid having undue influence over voters.

Campaigns in colleges, malls, and railway stations by district collectors contributed to the increase in voter registration. In the suburbs, registrations rapidly increased from 18,000 in January 2024 to 84,825 by this month. There was an increase of 371%. In the city areas, registrations increased from 13,000 in January 2024 to 26,450 by May 2024, an increase of 103%.

The Chandivali assembly constituency topped the list of first-time voters, as 5,141 voters are from this region of Mumbai. Malad (West) was in second place with 4,480 voters, and Borivali was in third place with 4,450 voters.

On June 4, the votes from all 543 constituencies in India will be counted, and that same day the results will be made public.