New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) India's electorate has witnessed a nearly five-fold increase since the first general elections. From a little over 173 million in the first general elections held in 1951, just four years after the country became independent from the British, it has reached a record 814 million in the 2014 general elections, making it by far the largest body of people to vote in a free election anywhere in the world.

Here is the electorate size for the Lok Sabha elections held so far:

1951 --- 173,212,343

1957 --- 193,652,179

1962 --- 127,719,470

1967 --- 248,904,300

1971 --- 274,189,132

1977 --- 321,174,327

1980 --- 356,205,329

1984 ---- 379,540,608

1989 --- 498,906,129

1991 --- 498,363,801

1996 --- 592,572,288

1998 --- 605,880,192

1999 --- 619,536,847

2004 --- 671,487,930

2009 ---- 716,985,101

2014 ---- 814,591,184