In a move to increase voters’ turnout for the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission (EC) has identified around 266 Parliamentary Constituencies including 215 in rural areas and 51 urban areas, which recorded low turnout in the previous elections , and is now planning targeted intervention. The Commission has held a meeting with municipal commissioners from major cities and select district elections to discuss the voters’ apathy and how to motivate voters to cast their votes. Polling for the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls begins on April 19.
As per a data shared by the EC, at least 11 States/UTs namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, J&K and Jharkhand had a voter turnout lower than the national average of 67.40% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Out of the total 50 rural polling centres across 11 states identified with lower voter turnout than the national average in 2019, 40 polling centres (PCs) are from Uttar Pradesh (22 PCs) and Bihar (18PCs). In UP, 51- Phulpur PC recorded the lowest turnout of 48.7%, while in Bihar, 29-Nalanda PC recorded lowest turnout of 48.79%.
“Of the 50 PCs with the lowest voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 17 were found to be in metropolitans or major cities reflecting an unfortunate trend of urban apathy. The same trend has been seen in the past few state assembly elections. In the Gujarat Assembly polls in 2022, Gandhidham assembly constituency in Kachchh district, which has industrial establishments, recorded lowest polling percentage of 48.14 percent, a sharp decline of almost 6 percent than the last election in 2017, recording a new low”.
“Similarly, Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in 2022, the Shimla assembly constituency in Shimla District (State Capital) recorded the lowest polling percentage of 63.48 percentagainst the State Average Poll % of 75.78%. It has been observed that all rural assembly constituencies have voted more in percentage terms than urban assembly constituencies of Surat. The difference in lowest urban assembly constituency of Surat with highest rural assembly constituency is as much as 25%. Similarly, in the State Legislative Assembly Election of Karnataka 2023, AC Bommanahalli in Bangalore (Bangalore South) recorded the lowest VTR of 47.5% as compared to State Average VTR of 73.84 percent,” the Commission said.
The parliamentary constituencies in Bihar where voter turnout was lower than the national average in the last Lok Sabha polls include Patna Sahib (45.80 per cent), Nalanda (48.79 per cent), Karakat (49.09 per cent), Nawada (49.73 per cent), Jahanabad (51.76 per cent) and Arrah (51.81 per cent). Aurangabad (53.76 per cent), Madhubani (53.82 per cent), Mahrajgang (53.82 per cent), Buxar (53.95), Sasaram (54.72 per cent), Siwan (54.73 per cent) and Munger (54.90 per cent) are also on the list.
In Delhi, voter turn out was recorded 62.78 percent in Chandni Chowk, 63.86 percent in North East Delhi, 61.70 percent in East Delhi, 56.91 percent in New Delhi, 58.97 percent in North West Delhi, 60.82 percent in West Delhi and 58.75 percent in South Delhi. Chennai North, Chennai South and Chennai Central were also recorded 64.26 percent; 57.07 percent and 58.98 percent voter turn out in the previous elections.
Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stressed that ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work and different strategies have to be worked out for different areas and segments.Kumar emphasised on a three-pronged strategy of providing facilitation at polling stations, such as queue management, sheltered parking in congested areas; targeted outreach and communication; and involvement of critical stakeholders including RWAs, local icons and youth influencers to persuade people to come to polling stations on voting day. Kumar emphasised on a three-pronged strategy of providing facilitation at polling stations, such as queue management, sheltered parking in congested areas; targeted outreach and communication; and involvement of critical stakeholders including RWAs, local icons and youth influencers to persuade people to come to polling stations on voting day. He told officials to prepare a booth-wise action plan for enhanced participation and behaviour change.
He asked the participants to prepare different strategies for urban and rural areas and plan interventions accordingly for different target audiences.
Urban specific hurdles to increased voter turnout were identified and targeted city-specific interventions were planned. The officers were encouraged to develop tailored, region-specific outreach programs that resonate with the unique needs and demographics of their constituencies. The Commission recalled that nearly 29.7 crore eligible voters did not vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections “underscoring the scale of the problem which calls for proactive measures”.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, of the 50 seats with the lowest voter turnout, 17 were in metropolitans or major cities. It said recent elections across various states have highlighted trends of urban apathy towards the electoral process, warranting targeted interventions and collaborative endeavours.
