Maha polls: Areas with Gujarati voters see a polling dip

Assembly seats with a large population of Gujarati voters — such as Borivali, Dahisar, Mulund, Vile Parle, Ghatkopar East, Kandivali East, Ghatkopar East — saw a

Assembly seats with a large population of Gujarati voters — such as Borivali, Dahisar, Mulund, Vile Parle, Ghatkopar East, Kandivali East, Ghatkopar East — saw a five to six percentage point drop in turnout on Monday, as compared to Lok Sabha (LS) elections held earlier this year. However, when compared to the 2014 state Assembly polls, the difference in the turnout is marginally higher or at par in some seats. While the Opposition said the lower voter turnout in such seats indicated the Gujarati community’s anguish against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) owing to a sluggish economy, several party candidates said there was no curiosity among voters owing to a weak opposition.

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In Borivali constituency, the turnout on Monday was 54.97% against 66.2% in LS polls. In Dahisar, the turnout for the 2019 Assembly polls was 52.87%, against 62.4% in the LS polls. In Mulund, 53.79% voters came out to exercise their right on Monday, whereas in the LS elections, the turnout had stood at 63.7%. Constituencies like Vile Parle and Malabar Hill also witnessed a drop. The turnout in Vile Parle was 53.05% on Monday and 61% in the 2019 general elections.

The difference in the turnout was also attributed to the Modi factor by BJP leaders, who claimed the community turned up in large numbers to vote for the prime minister during the general elections owing to his popularity.

Manisha Chaudhary, sitting BJP MLA from Dahisar, said, “It is not that Gujarati voters have not come out to vote, I think voting percentage in minority communities has gone down. Also, the drop is also because people were confident that BJP will win, and hence did not feel like going out and voting. Additionally, the long weekend and Diwali could also have played a role.”

Another sitting BJP MLA, Atul Bhatkhalkar, from Kandivali East, said there was no curiosity among voters this time owing to a “weak opposition”. “Voters were certain about the outcome, and I do not think that the drop will matter much…During LS polls, there was a campaign against PM Modi on several issues, and hence people came out in large number to vote and support him. However, during this Assembly polls, there was no strong opposition.”

However, Jayant Siroya, who is contesting in Vile Parle on a Congress ticket, said the Gujarati community is not happy with the BJP. “It is evident after comparing the numbers with LS polls of 2019. In Vile Parle, the Gujarati community has around 60,000 voters, and majority of them are going to come to the Congress this time, instead of the BJP.”