Civic Polls: ‘Disinterest of voters concerning’: What’s behind low voter turnout in Lucknow?

According to the Election Commission, a 39.67% turnout was recorded in areas under the Luncknow Municipal Corporation while the nagar panchayat elections noted a 64% elector footfall.

LUCKNOW The recently-held civic polls in Lucknow yet again conformed to the familiar voting pattern that has emerged across the country -- low elector turnout in urban areas but a relatively higher voting percentage in rural (or rurban) localities. According to the Election Commission, a 39.67% turnout was recorded in areas under the Luncknow Municipal Corporation while the nagar panchayat elections noted a 64% elector footfall.

The posh localities could hardly go beyond a 35% turnout. (HT Photo)

In fact, all the 88 new villages that were recently included under the municipal limits recorded a decent turnout. The newly-created Atal Bihari Vajpayee ward set an example for other wards with a 58% turnout. Out of the 24,415 voters in the ward, 14,172 exercised their franchise. This was followed by Shaheed Bhagat Singh Ward where the voting percentage was 51.21. Similarly, the Kalyan Singh ward witnessed 48.7% voting. However, the posh localities could hardly go beyond a 35% turnout.

Commenting on low voter turnout in urban area, Professor Manuka Khanna, department of Political Science at Lucknow University, said, “The reducing percentage of turnout in Lucknow and other cities display a loss of faith among voters in the abilities of contestants. Today, elections have become a rich man’s game. A common man cannot think of contesting even the civic polls because the system favours the rich. Besides, people are now fed up with false promises. They know the candidate only turns up ahead of elections.”

Professor Khanna added, “It’s very concerning for any democracy when 62% of the voters don’t show up. It means the candidates are not being chosen by a majority. The district administration or concerned authorities should revisit the areas which have recorded a low voting percentage. They should talk to the residents about their disinterest in polls. If such studies are not carried out, the voting percentage cannot be brought closer to 100%.” The professor also pointed out that the Lok Sabha and assembly polls witness more turnout because people feel affected if the “wrong” candidate is chosen.

In a similar vein, Professor Sanjay Gupta, department of Political Science at Lucknow University, said, “The elections should never be clubbed with holidays like Sunday or festival because when there are more than one holiday people opt to go outstation to enjoy instead of performing their democratic duty of casting vote. Sometimes, the government should come out with some special sops for those who vote. If anyone is found avoiding this democractic duty deliberately, the person should be counseled.”

Meanwhile Samajwadi Party spokesperson Dr Ashutosh Varma said, “The disinterest of voters is concerning for budding politicians who contest civic elections. They should take up the onus of connecting to voters directly. They should win the confidence of electors so that they come out and vote.”

Echoing the opinion, Congress spokesperson and former corporator Mukesh Singh said, “The government must take every step to bring voters out of their homes. The district administration has a big role in bringing voters out of their homes to vote.”

When asked about low turnout, former deputy chief minister and former mayor of Lucknow Dinesh Sharma said, “In a democratic setup, it’s also the duty of citizens to protect the democracy by exercising their franchise. It’s also the duty of citizens (along with that of the government) to feel their responsibility towards their city, state, and country.”

Voting percentage in different wards

Atal Behari Vajpayee ward -- 58%

Lalji Tandon ward -- 47.8%

Khargapur Sarsawan ward -- 45%

Raja Bijli Pasi ward -- 43.3%

Vidhyawati II ward -- 42.4%

Malviya Nagar ward -- 42.1%

Jankipuram III -- 42%

Raja Bijli Pasi ward II -- 41.9%

Faizullahganj III ward -- 41.7%

Kharika II ward -- 41.4%

Ayodhya Das ward -- 22.7%

Lal Bahadur Shastri II ward -- 27%

Papermill colony ward -- 29%

Mahakavi Jaishankar Prasad ward -- 29.1%

Mahanagar ward -- 29%