ABSTRACT
Indian elections have witnessed an upsurge in electoral participation. For a very long time, the Lok Sabha elections witnessed a turnout of less than 60%, but recent elections have witnessed higher participation of the voters. The assembly elections in various states used to witness lower turnout compared to the Lok Sabha election. But there has been a turnaround in Indian elections especially with regard to electoral participation during the last decade. The turnout has increased significantly in the Lok Sabha elections, especially during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The last decade has also registered an increase in turnout even in the assembly elections. It is important to note that the Indian election witnessed an increased turnout mainly because the post-Mandal years witnessed a participatory upsurge amongst the marginalized sections of society. Women who voted in much lesser numbers compared to men started voting in much greater numbers now compared to the past. There has also been an upsurge in youth participation in recent elections especially the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Dalits and Adivasis had remained marginalized with respect to their electoral participation for decades; there was a time when a large number of Dalits and Adivasis were not allowed to vote. But the post-Mandal politics witnessed an upsurge in electoral participation of Adivasis as well. Overall the last few decades also witnessed voters taking a greater interest in politics, resulting in increased electoral participation.
