At 60.46%, Maharashtra voter turnout dips from 2014 assembly poll figure of 63.13%

Political analysts say the election lacked punch — some disillusionment with incumbent govt and a weak opposition took away the excitement.

Voters stand in a queue outside a polling station during Maharashtra Assembly elections, in Thane.

Mumbai: Maharashtra is likely to record a lukewarm voter turnout as compared to the last assembly election in 2014, with 60.46 per cent of the state’s electorate having voted until 6 pm, showed provisional figures released by the Election Commission.

The provisional turnout figures are in line with the voter turnout recorded during the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election, when 60.79 per cent of Maharashtra’s voters turned out to vote. However, the numbers show a dip as compared to the 63.13 per cent turnout during the state assembly election in 2014.

Overall, the turnout is likely to be stronger in smaller towns and rural constituencies than urban ones. According to Election Commission data, constituencies such as Radhanagari, Karvir, Shahuwadi and Kagal in the Kolhapur district and Shirala in the Sangli district are assembly segments likely to record the highest turnout.

The very urban constituencies of Kalyan West, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, Versova, Pune Cantonment and Colaba are the segments with the lowest turnout numbers, showed provisional figures. The turnout in Mumbai’s elite Colaba constituency was just 40.2 per cent as against 46.2 per cent in the last assembly elections, showed the provisional numbers.

 

Poll lacked lunch, numbers show resentment, say analysts 

Political analysts attribute the tepid turnout figures to the fact that this election lacked punch as compared to the 2014 assembly poll.

Political commentator and senior journalist Abhay Deshpande said the turnout is likely to be closer to what the state recorded during the 2009 assembly elections, when it was 59.5 per cent.

“In the previous assembly election in 2014, the atmosphere was charged as all four parties — Shiv Sena, BJP, Congress and NCP — fought separately. There was especially some high-voltage drama between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. That kind of excitement was missing from this election, being perceived to be a one-sided campaign.”

He added that the election being on a Monday, giving people a pre-Diwali long weekend would have also affected the turnout. In 2014, the assembly election was mid-week.

Similarly, political analyst Pratap Asbe said ground-level disillusionment with the incumbent government to a certain extent and a weak opposition as an alternative took away some excitement from this election.

“The opposition’s campaign was not very exciting. This created a perception that the BJP-Shiv Sena are anyway going to come back to power. However, there is also some resentment against the state government on the ground. All this may have left voters unenthused,” he said.

Political analyst Hemant Desai said while the rural vote is stronger than the urban vote as of now, it is still not as strong as it was expected to be, indicating that “issues such as farm distress and lack of jobs have been very much relevant this election”.

“The tepid figures show that voters are disappointed with all parties in the fray — the ruling parties for not being able to solve their problems, and there is also frustration over the lack of alternatives.”

Maharashtra has 8.94 crore voters across 288 assembly constituencies for which there were 3,237 candidates in the poll fray. In Mumbai, there were 333 candidates across its 36 constituencies.

Mumbai voter turnout also likely to dip

The usually politically-apathetic Mumbai created a record of sorts in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2014 assembly polls, but turnout figures this election are likely to be slightly lower than the last assembly election.

According to the average of provisional voter turnout figures across the 10 constituencies of Mumbai city and 26 constituencies of Mumbai suburban districts, 50.52 per cent of the city’s voters turned out to exercise their franchise. In Mumbai, elite constituencies such as Colaba, Versova, Bandra West and Andheri West proved to be laggards.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Mumbai, overall, witnessed a voter turnout of 55.23 per cent, the highest in any Lok Sabha election in the city since 1989.

Similarly, during the 2014 assembly election, the city recorded a turnout of 51.21 per cent, highest for an assembly election since 1967.

“Roaming around constituencies in Mumbai, one couldn’t see a lot of activity by opposition party volunteers in getting their voters out to vote. Even between the BJP and Shiv Sena, BJP workers were not seen in Sena constituencies in urging voters to turn up and vice-versa,” said Deshpande.