BJP & Congress are forgetting city voters in race to woo villages

Voter turnout has been dismal in 3 key southern cities -- Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad -- that have gone to polls so far in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Voters displays their inked fingers for a photograph after casting their votes at a polling station in New Delhi, India, on April 10, 2014| Vishwanathan/Bloomberg

New Delhi: Voters in cities are not aware about the contestants and some also prefer to stay away from voting or skip polling during long weekends.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress party are vying with each other to offer sops to people in the villages, leaving many city dwellers disenchanted with the election process.

Political parties have pledged to raise living standards of the rural poor, double farmers’ income, write off farm loans and power bills to lure about 68 percent of the nation’s 1.3 billion people — a key voting bloc in the world’s largest democracy. In cities, many residents aren’t aware about the contestants, agendas or even election date. Some voters in towns and cities prefer to stay away from voting or plan to skip polling during long weekends.

Modi’s BJP won the biModi’s BJP won the biggest majority in three decades in 2014 largely because the party more than doubled its tally in urban areas, while Congress lost 96 percent of the seats. In the ongoing election, voter turnout in three key southern cities of Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad has been dismal.

“City voters, particularly in southern states, are not enthusiastic for voting in absence of a political wave and lack of leadership which can motivate workers,” said Bhopal-based author and political analyst Girija Shankar.- Bloomberg