Low turnout in Maharashtra's urban pockets

If the polling percentage of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections is compared with that of the current polls so far, it seems there is not much difference in the polling pattern in Maharashtra. Last time, the polling percentage in the state was 54.37 per cent, whereas it has been 55.72 and 53.25 per cent, respectively, in the first two phases of the ongoing elections in which 38 out of 48 constituencies have gone to polls.

However, a cursory glance at the polling figures indicates that there is a considerable drop in the voting percentage in the constituencies with urban faces. In rural areas too, an above-average percentage is recorded only in those constituencies where either high-profile candidates were involved or an intense battle was taking place.

In urban constituencies like Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, there has been a considerable decline in polling percentage over 2004. Last time, these constituencies had recorded a polling percentage of 48, 51 and 54 per cent, respectively. But this time, it dropped to 40 per cent in Pune, 46 in Nagpur and 46 in Nashik.

In Pune, sitting Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi and Ajit Pawar, nephew of NCP president Sharad Pawar and minister for water resources in the state cabinet, do not see eye to eye that resulted in low turnout as areas dominated by the NCP in Pune hardly saw any voting.

Similarly, in Nagpur, intense fighting between Union Minister of State for non-conventional energy Vilas Muttemwar and three local Congress MLAs have also resulted in poor voter turnout. In fact, Muttemwar has written an open letter to party president Sonia Gandhi, stating if the Congress loses Nagpur then blame must go to these three MLAs — Minister for Minority Affairs Anis Ahmad, Minister of State for Home Nitin Raut and Satish Chaturvedi.

Likewise in the constituencies where high-profile political personalities of the state have been involved, voters’ turnout has been good. The highest turnout in the first phase — 57 per cent — was recorded in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, which was contested by Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. In the second phase, the highest turnout of 66 per cent has been recorded in Beed from where the BJP’s national general secretary, Gopinath Munde, contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first time.