E-Paper
Maharashtra polling percentage: Mumbai, including laggard Colaba, does better; slight dip in suburbs
Maharashtra polling percentage: Mumbai, including laggard Colaba, does better; slight dip in suburbs
Mumbai, Mumbai recorded an overall voter turnout of 54.52 per cent in the November 20 assembly polls, up from the 52.79 per cent recorded in the 2019 edition, as per data made available by Election Commission of India on Thursday. The voting percentage in the island city was 52.65 per cent, up from 48.40 per cent in 2019, while it was 56.39 per cent in the suburban district, a dip from 57.19 per cent in 2019. The country's financial capital has 36 assembly constituencies, of which 10 are in the island city and the remaining in the suburban district. As per EC data, Bhandup West led with a polling percentage of 62.88 per cent, while Colaba was last with 44.44 per cent of the registered voters making their way to the booths on Wednesday. The EC data highlighted that in the 2019 assembly elections, six of the 10 constituencies in the island city had recorded less than 50 per cent voter turnout, with Colaba once again at the bottom with 40.13 per cent. Similarly, eight of the 26 constituencies in Mumbai's suburbs had recorded less than 50 per cent turnout and none of them crossed the 60 per cent mark in 2019. As per EC data, Bhandup West led with 62.88 per cent, followed by 62.32 per cent in Borivali and 61.42 per cent in Mulund. Vandre West was the lowest in the suburban district with polling percentage of 51.36 per cent, followed by Versova at 51.44 per cent. Two constituencies in the island city, namely Colaba and Mumbardevi failed to breach the 50 per cent mark. The figure was 44.44 per cent in Colaba and 48.76 per cent in Mumbadevi. In the island city, Mahim recorded the highest turnout at 59.01 per cent, followed by Wadala at 57.67 per cent, EC data showed. Interestingly, the voter apathy in Colaba in the past polls was highlighted by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar during a press conference in New Delhi on October 15 when the poll schedule for Maharashtra and Jharkhand were announced. If areas in Jammu and Kashmir like Doda, Reasi, Poonch and Rajouri can witness more than 70 per cent polling, Colaba can also do better, Kumar had said. Poll officials in Mumbai had said they had taken several steps to increase voter turnout. These included facilities such as drinking water, clean toilets, waiting rooms, wheelchairs for disabled voters, volunteers for disabled voters, fans, dustbins, medical kits, and signboards at more than 10,000 polling stations, the officials said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
