From Shimla To Surat, Urban Voters Did Not Show Enthusiasm For Voting: Election Commission
03 December 2022: The Election Commission on Saturday said that the polling percentage increased in several constituencies in Gujarat in the first phase of polling, but the overall voter turnout was low in key districts like Surat, Rajkot and Jamnagar due to urban apathy towards voting.
In the assembly elections held last month, many voters in urban areas of Himachal Pradesh also stayed away from the polling booths. The urban assembly seat of Shimla recorded the lowest voter turnout of 62.53 per cent in the state, which is 13 per cent less than the state average of 75.6 per cent.
The Election Commission said cities in Gujarat also showed a trend of urban apathy towards voting, leading to a decline in overall voter turnout in the first phase. The commission noted that the voter turnout in Surat, Rajkot and Jamnagar in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections was less than 63.3 per cent overall.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar appealed to the voters of Gujarat to come out in large numbers during the second phase of polling on December 5 to make up for the low turnout in the first phase. Now, their chances of crossing the 2017 polling percentage depend on their increased participation.
According to the Election Commission, the Gandhidham seat in Kutch district, which has industrial establishments, recorded the lowest voting percentage of 47.8 per cent, a sharp drop of 6.34 percentage points from the 2017 polling. The latest turnout was a new low. The second lowest turnout was recorded in the Karanj constituency in Surat, which was 5.37 percentage points lower than its low of 55.91 per cent in 2017.
The poll panel noted that major cities and urban areas of Gujarat not only registered a decline in polling percentage as compared to the 2017 elections but also polled less than the state average of 63.3 per cent. The polling percentage was 66.79 per cent. In a statement, the Election Commission underlined, “If the voting percentage in these constituencies were to even match their voting percentage level in the 2017 election, the state average would have been more than 65 per cent.”
There appeared to be differences in turnout between rural and urban constituencies. There is a difference of 34.85 percentage points between the rural constituency of Dediapada (82.71 per cent) and the urban seat of Gandhidham (47.86 per cent) in the Narmada district. Furthermore, the average turnout in important urban areas is lower than the turnout in rural constituencies.
The commission said, “Within many districts, rural constituencies have significantly higher voter turnout than urban constituencies. For example, in Rajkot, all urban assembly constituencies saw a decline in voter turnout.”
CEC Kumar has been working relentlessly to address the issue of apathy towards voting by urban voters and youth. They are urging state Chief Electoral Officers to identify seats and polling stations with low voter turnout to ensure targeted interventions to reach out to voters, increase awareness, and break the clutches of urban apathy.
To focus on urban apathy, the Election Commission has advocated setting up voter awareness platforms in both private and government organizations to highlight the importance of voting and motivate urban working citizens to come out and vote.
