New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Urban apathy continues to drag down the overall voter turnout in Haryana, the Election Commission lamented on Monday, noting that electors across rural areas turned up at polling stations with greater vigour.
A voter turnout of 67.9 per cent has been recorded across the 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana which went to polls on Saturday.
The EC said the turnout reflects significantly higher voter response compared to last Lok Sabha elections which recorded 64.8 per cent voting in the state.
The turnout “nearly” touched the figures of assembly elections in 2019, which stood at 68.3 per cent.
The poll panel has been struggling with the phenomenon of ‘urban and youth apathy’ where electors in metros, especially the youth, prefer to stay indoors and do not turn up at polling stations to cast votes on polling day.
To counter the trend, several high-rise apartment complexes in Gurugram and some other cities in Haryana had their own polling stations.
“The disturbing trend of urban apathy, however, continues to significantly impact overall state voter turnout, with many urban constituencies in Haryana recording turnout rates 10 per cent below the state average,” the EC observed.
Urban areas such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, Ballabhgarh, Sonipat, Karnal and Badshahpur recorded a low turnout. Gurugram recorded the lowest turnout among the urban centres with 51.81 per cent of voters coming out to exercise their franchise.
This trend of low urban participation mirrors similar patterns seen in previous assembly elections in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh, the Commission noted.
“The Commission, while expressing concerns over the discernible lower turnout in urban areas in Haryana and in J&K, has resolved to further strengthen measures and innovative outreach to deal with urban apathy in the upcoming elections in predominantly urban states like Maharashtra,” it said.
Overall, the male voter turnout in the state was 68.93 per cent, and the female turnout was 66.73 per cent. The participation of third-gender voters stood at 25.27 per cent.
The final turnout figures will be available after the counting of votes, including postal ballots, on Tuesday. PTI NAB RHL
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