Ggm admin to felicitate RWAs for voter mobilisation despite low turnout

Gurugram's voter turnout for the 2024 assembly elections was only 57.9%, despite RWAs' efforts. Plans to honor active RWAs are underway.

Despite concerted efforts by Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and the district administration to boost voter participation, Gurugram registered a voter turnout of just 57.9% in the 2024 assembly elections, officials said. In response, the district administration has announced plans to recognise RWAs that played a key role in encouraging residents to vote, according to Gurugram’s deputy commissioner, Nishant Kumar Yadav. A felicitation ceremony is planned to honour the RWAs from residential societies with the highest voter turnout, officials added.

Security personnel guard outside the EVM strong room at the Government Girls College in Sector 14 counting centre on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Officials reported that 126 polling stations were strategically placed inside condominium complexes to make voting more convenient for residents, but turnout remained lower than anticipated. In contrast, the 2019 Haryana assembly polls recorded 64.4% overall voter turnout. RWAs across the city took multiple initiatives to remind and urge residents to cast their votes, yet many residents chose not to participate in the democratic process, said officials.

“Some RWAs have done commendable work and tried very hard to increase voter turnout, but residents chose not to step out and vote. It’s disappointing to see that even with such efforts, participation was low. This ceremony is our way of recognising the RWAs that went above and beyond to motivate their communities to engage in the democratic process,” said Yadav.

Amit Jindal, president of the RWA at Vipul Greens, Sector 48, shared that the low turnout was particularly disheartening for those involved in the mobilisation effort. “Many residents were simply not interested in voting for anyone. With the poor state of development and infrastructure in the area, people feel disconnected and disillusioned with the political system. They believe their votes won’t bring about the changes they seek, and this is a major reason for the low turnout,” Jindal added.

Nilesh Tandon, RWA president of Fresco Apartments in Sector 50, cited the polling date coinciding with that of a long weekend as one of the factors behind such low voter turnout. “It was frustrating to repeatedly call residents out of their apartments and remind them to vote, only to see them show little enthusiasm. Many people chose to travel during the long weekend rather than vote,” he added.

Officials noted that the extended holiday weekend played a significant role in reducing voter participation, as many residents opted to travel. Additionally, voter fatigue was evident, with the city having experienced multiple elections in the past five months, they added. This back-to-back electoral activity led to a sense of disengagement among many residents. Amit Jindal added, “The massive influx of campaigns and election related activities may have caused an avulsion for some participating residents. Additionally, most residents demanded further development, some of which have not been addressed for decades, that may have further added to their disengagement from the polls.”