Mohali voter turnout 6.72% lower than 2014

Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 20

Mohali district registered 63.45 per cent polling in Lok Sabha elections yesterday, failing to breach its 2014 figure of 70.17 per cent. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the poll percentage in the district was 67 per cent.

Of the total 7,26,482 voters registered in the district, as many as 4,61,022 persons cast their ballot yesterday. The district has been divided into three segments — Mohali, Kharar and Dera Bassi.

According to the Election Commission data, among the three segments, Dera Bassi recorded the highest turnout of 69.02 per cent, followed by Kharar (60.63 per cent) and Mohali (60.10 per cent).

While Kharar and Mohali segments fall under the Anandpur Sahib constituency, Dera Bassi is part of the Patiala constituency.

The data also revealed that the polling saw many more women casting their votes. As many as 2,49,405 men and 2,11,616 women turned up to vote in all three segments. 

Giving segment-wise details, an official of the Electoral Department said in the Kharar Assembly segment, 80,377 men and 66,692 women exercised their franchise. In Mohali, the figures were 72,728 men and 62,698 women, while in Dera Bassi, it was 96,300 men and 82,226 women.

The highest turnout recorded in the district was 92 per cent at Government Elementary School at Shatabgarh village in Dera Bassi, whereas the lowest was 39.92 per cent at APJ Public School in Kharar, which was manned by an all-women team.

At the polling station in Masol village, which was the only station in the district to be labelled as ‘critical’, the turnout was 63 per cent. Of the total 305 registered voters, 193 voted, which included 89 women.

Low turnout at ‘Sakhi’ booths

The Sakhi (all-women) polling booths in the district recorded a relatively low turnout, according to electoral officials. There were eight booths that were manned only by women, which included five in Kharar, two in Mohali and the remaining in Dera Bassi.

Among the eight booths, the ‘Sakhi’ booth at Government Senior Secondary School, Sohana village, Mohali, witnessed the maximum turnout of 62.222 per cent, whereas the lowest was 39.92 per cent at APJ Public School, Kharar.

In Dera Bassi, the turnout at ‘Sakhi’ booths was recorded at 56 per cent. The poll percentage at St Mary School, Mohali, was 51.97 per cent, while at two booths set up at Anne’s School, Kharar, it was 51.79 and 47.43. Two other booths set up at APJ School, Kharar, saw 48.32 per cent and 54.77 per cent turnout.

Lone transgender votes

From among 26 transgender registered as voters in the district, only one turned up to vote in the Kharar Assembly segment. The Electoral office data shows that 18 transgenders were registered in the Dera Bassi segment, six in the Kharar segment and two in the Mohali segment. 

This is despite the fact that the local administration had made all efforts to register transgenders as voters and had encouraged them to exercise their franchise.