Two of the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh – Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar – went to polls on Friday, recording the worst turnout since 2014 – under 55%. The 2 seats, additionally falling within the nationwide capital area, are thought of essential in India’s electoral politics since they got here into existence in 2008.
Whereas in Ghaziabad, the turnout was simply 49.65%, in Gautam Buddha Nagar it was somewhat higher at 53%, information from the Election Fee of India as of early Saturday exhibits. The voter turnout for the 2 seats was by no means at par with the nationwide common, however this time it was exceptionally low when in comparison with the final two ballot numbers. The typical voter turnout for India in 2014 was 66.44%, which improved to 67.40% in 2019.
Dip in attendance
Each the seats have reported a drop in turnout through the years. In 2014, the voter turnout in Ghaziabad was near 57% which got here down to shut to 56% in 2019. For Gautam Buddha Nagar, in each 2014 and 2019, the turnout was about 60%, with a marginal distinction.
Each Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar Lok Sabha seats have 5 assemblies every. The turnout this time throughout these assemblies was the bottom within the final 10 years, the numbers analysed by News18 present. Within the 2014 and 2019 normal elections, the 2 Lok Sabha seats had been bagged by the BJP, and within the final state elections, the ten assemblies falling beneath the 2 constituencies additionally voted for the saffron celebration.
The 2 seats got here into existence in 2008 after delimitation.
Within the final three Lok Sabha elections since 2009, the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha seat has voted just for BJP – Rajnath Singh in 2009 and Normal VK Singh in 2014 and 2019.
Within the polling finished on Friday, the battle was between BJP’s incumbent MLA Atul Garg, and Congress chief Dolly Sharma, who was additionally backed by the Samajwadi Get together. A complete of 14 candidates had been within the fray, together with the Bahujan Samaj Get together’s Thakur Nandkishor Pundhir.
In Gautam Buddha Nagar, additionally fashioned in 2009, BJP’s Mahesh Sharma has been elected twice – in 2014 and 2019. Earlier than that, in 2009, BSP’s Surendra Singh Nagar was elected from the seat.
Whereas the BJP has renominated Sharma, the SP has fielded Mahendra Singh Nagar, additionally backed by the Congress. The seat had 15 candidates within the fray, together with BSP’s Rajendra Singh Solanki.
Whereas the voter turnout has dropped throughout the constituency, the city part reported the bottom voter participation. In Noida, the city belt of Gautam Buddha Nagar, for each 100 voters, solely 47 turned up – with the turnout at 47%. In Ghaziabad, the city areas are Sahibabad (42.57%) and Ghaziabad (47.86%).
The agricultural part of the 2 seats reported higher turnout – Dholana (in Ghaziabad) virtually touching 60%. Equally, Khurja was additionally near 60% whereas Sikandrabad reported a 60% turnout.
City apathy and weekend polling
The Election Fee has been battling with city apathy for a really very long time and from time to time the problem has been raised.
In March 2023, whereas saying the dates for the Karnataka meeting polls, the fee had stated that polling on midweek bars the city working class from clubbing the voting vacation with common offs and takes away the choice of an extended weekend. The polling within the state was finished on Wednesday.
Talking to the media, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar stated that had the polling been scheduled for a Monday or a Friday, folks would have clubbed it with the weekend. If it had been a Tuesday or a Thursday, it could nonetheless be doable to show it right into a mini vacation and folks would have left city.
“Now, the polling is on Wednesday and, for that, they need to take two leaves at the very least…That is what we’ve finished in Karnataka. I’m positive folks is not going to sleep in and step out to vote,” Kumar had stated.
However this time, within the two phases of Lok Sabha polls held up to now, the polling was finished on Friday and each instances, the voter turnout was decrease than in 2019, apart from a number of seats.
Whereas polling on Friday is probably not the most important contributing issue to low voter turnout, it could play a important position, particularly within the city working class – a significant inhabitants of each Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
5 phases of polling are nonetheless left earlier than the counting of votes on June 4. Of those 5, two phases might be performed on Mondays and two on Saturdays. One of many phases might be performed on Tuesday.
Discover Dwell updates on the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Information . Test Lok Sabha Election 2024 Part 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Web site.
