80-plus voters outnumber first-timers in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: India is getting younger, but most populous state of Uttar Pradesh is ageing, the Election Commission data on the age of voters from parliamentary constituencies of the state shows.

There are more voters in UP aged 80 years and above than those who are 18-19 years old and will be voting for the first time. Overall, the elderly outnumber the millennial by 6 lakh in the state.

Only in the first two phases, the first-time voters outnumber the octogenarians.

Against 2.73 lakh firsttime voters in phase I, there are 2.71 lakh voters aged 80 years and above. In districts like Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Meerut, there are more elderly voters than firsttimes, the data shows.

In the second phase, there are 2.61 lakh young voters against 2.50 lakh elderly ones. In Mathura, Etah and Aligarh, more elderly people will vote than first-timers.

The number of voters in the age bracket of 80 and above begins to rise from the third phase, covering Rohilkhand region. There are around 1,000 more elderly voters than first-timers. The difference becomes sharper in the fourth phase, covering parts of central and east UP, where the number of voters aged 80 and above is 1 lakh more than first-time voters.

In Unnao, for example, the number of voters aged 80 and above is double that of first-timers. In Jalaun, the difference is greater.

Voters aged 80 and above hold more ground than first-time voters in Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli from where Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are contesting, respectively.

The difference grows further in the fifth phase, with voters in the age group of 80 and above being 1.5 lakh more in number than first-time voters.