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India is on track to secure a spot among the top three countries globally in terms of voter turnout, according to a recent research report by the State Bank of India (SBI).
The report highlighted that India's voter participation is already in line with advanced economies and significantly higher than that of the United States. It said, "India could soon be within the top 3 of the countries globally in terms of voting percentages." Currently, India ranks fourth in global voter turnout with a participation rate of 66.1 per cent. Germany leads the rankings with the highest voter turnout at 76.6 per cent, followed by France and Spain, both at 66.6 per cent. Voter turnout measures the percentage of voters who have taken part in the election by casting their votes. India's voter turnout surpasses that of the United States, where the most recent presidential elections recorded a turnout of 63.9 per cent. The report highlights that India's electoral participation aligns with major economies, showcasing the country's democratic strength. Despite this progress, India faces challenges in terms of parliamentary representation. Among major economies, India has the highest population per seat in its Lower House of Parliament, with 25.7 lakh people per seat. In comparison, Germany, France, and the UK have far lower figures at 1.2 lakh, 1.2 lakh, and 1.1 lakh, respectively. Another critical issue highlighted in the report is the underrepresentation of women in India's Lower House of Parliament. Currently, only 13.6 per cent of seats are held by women, which is among the lowest percentages globally. In contrast, countries like Ethiopia (41.3 per cent), the UK (40.5 per cent), and France (36 per cent) have a much higher share of women representatives. This trend of low female representation is more common in developing economies, the report notes. It said, "Among major economies, India has the highest population per seat of Lower House of parliament, however, it lacks in terms of representation of women in the Lower House, a trend more observed in Developing Economies." The findings emphasised India's growing voter engagement while calling attention to the need for improved representation in Parliament. With its robust democratic participation, India is poised to strengthen its position globally, but addressing issues of population-per-seat and gender representation could further bolster its democratic framework. (ANI)
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