New Delhi | A total of 17.4 crore voters are eligible to take part in the forthcoming assembly elections in four states -- Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala, and one Union Territory, Puducherry, to elect 824 MLAs, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said here on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Kumar also said that voting will be held at 2.19 lakh polling stations across the four states and UT while 25 lakh election officials will be on duty to ensure free and fair elections.

"A total of 17.4 crore voters are eligible to vote in elections to five assemblies with 824 constituencies," he said, flanked by two Election Commissioners -- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

He said the number of total voters of the four states and UT is equivalent to the population of Australia, France, South Africa, Germany and Canada.

Kumar said pure electoral rolls form bedrock of our democracy and hence no eligible elector should be left out and no ineligible voter should be included in the electoral rolls.

He also congratulated booth level officers (BLOs) for doing good work during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.

The CEC said representatives of the poll bodies of 20 countries will visit the poll-bound states to get the experience of India's "Festival of Democracy".