Poor urban voter participation sad affair, say academics

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: Apathy among urban voters, especially those in the 28 Assembly constituencies of Bengaluru has been criticised by academics. Bengaluru Urban district’s voter turn-out stagnated, going from 56.92 per cent in the 2018 Assembly elections to 57.69 per cent this time around.

Bommanahalli was the worst performing segment in the Wednesday elections with a measly 47.36 per cent down from 52 per cent in the previous polls, followed by CV Raman Nagar at 47.44 per cent, down from 48.98 per cent.

However, some postal ballots and home votes are yet to be accounted for. Moreover, 17 of the 28 segments in the capital registered poorer turn-out compared to the 2018 elections. Missing names in voters’ lists also posed a problem.

For context, 62.03 per cent cast their ballot in the 2013 state-wide polls. There was a slight decline in other urban centres as well. Voter turn-out dipped in Belagavi North from 63.18 per cent in 2018 to 59.53 per cent.

Mangaluru North’s participation dipped from 74.42 per cent to 72.32 per cent. It was a similar story in Mangaluru South where the number went from 67.47 per cent to 65.1 per cent. Ramakrishna Hegde Chair Professor at Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) Chandan Gowda said that the poor turn-out is down to multiple factors.

“It’s the same sort of reasons such as apathy and not trying to find their names on the voter’s list (beforehand), people moving across neighbourhoods and cities and not updating the voter’s lists,” he said, noting that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow had failed to bring electors out in high numbers. Mysore University professor of political science Muzaffar Assadi on the other hand used much stronger language and “condemned” the absentee voters for not turning up despite being politicized.

“They take all the benefits of the state like education and then ask what has the state done for us? Education is highly subsidized, which these very people take advantage of, but still they turn around and ask what have we gotten out of this?” he said. “If you want to keep this democratic system going, then you should come out and vote. Their resignation or withdrawal from the system obviously means that they are providing a space for non-democratic institutions to grow,” he added.