Punjab assembly elections: Mohali admn going all out to increase voter turnout in urban areas

The Mohali administration is going all out to encourage residents of urban areas to come forward to vote in the Punjab assembly elections on February 20

The Mohali administration is going all out to encourage residents of urban areas to come forward to vote in the Punjab assembly elections on February 20.

Students performing during a voter awareness campaign organised by the Mohali administration ahead of the Punjab assembly elections. (HT Photo)

A queue management app has been introduced for the convenience of voters and first-timers will be given pens and appreciation certificates as incentives. Also, 32 polling booths will be decorated with balloons.

In the last two assembly elections in 2012 and 2017, rural areas have seen a higher turnout and even in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, 69% of the eligible population voted in rural areas, while urban areas recorded just 60%.

District electoral officer Isha Kalia said since urban voters did not want to stand in queues, they had come up with the app which will be updated by booth-level officers (BLO) at regular intervals.

“Bulk SMS messages will be sent to residents, urging them to cast their vote. In the last seven days, we will send them a pre-recorded messages and on the polling day also, we will ask people to come out and vote,” Kalia said.

Additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Komal Mittal said that to welcome the voters, 32 polling booths in all three assemblies of Mohali district were being decorated. “We are expecting a remarkable turnout this time as we have intensified activities under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program (SVEEP) and are reaching out to young and first-time voters,” she said.

In the 2017 assembly elections, Dera Bassi constituency witnessed 76.06% voter turnout, followed by Kharar with 72.9%, while Mohali recorded 66.39%. In 2012, the turnout in Mohali, Kharar, and Dera Bassi was 70.62%, 78% and 79%, respectively.

In 2012, the voter turnout in of rural areas was around 74%, while it was 64% in urban areas. In 2017, it was 76.23% in rural and 60.49% in urban areas.

Explaining the reason for low turnout in urban areas, Manjit Singh, former professor of sociology at Panjab University, said that rural politics functioned substantially around groups, which were usually formed around caste and religion and encouraged them to vote for change. “However, urban voters think the system will not change and voting is a waste of time,” he said.