Below-par turnout

For the second time in six months, people of Haryana and Maharashtra came out to exercise their franchise. Haryana recorded 68.31 per cent polling in the Assembly elections, marginally less than the state’s turnout (70.36 per cent) in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Maharashtra witnessed 60.83 per cent voting, almost the same (60.79) as in the parliamentary battle. However, both states saw a significant drop in vote percentage compared to the 2014 Assembly elections, when the figures for Haryana and Maharashtra were 76.54 and 64, respectively.

A higher turnout is often linked, at times erroneously, to anti-incumbency, while a lower percentage is perceived to be an indicator that the electorate prefers continuity to change or is not bothered either way. A notable exception was the Punjab Assembly elections of 2012, when the Akali-BJP alliance retained power despite an impressive turnout of 78.57 per cent. Whatever might be the correlation between these entities, the dismal show in Gurgaon (52.36 per cent) and the 10 constituencies of Mumbai City district (around 47 per cent) is a clear sign of indifference among urban voters. The apathy is all the more glaring in the country’s commercial capital and film hub. The upscale Colaba was among the worst performers in Maharashtra, even as voters of tribal areas in districts such as Thane and Palghar made their presence felt.

The reluctance of city residents to vote can be partly attributed to a sense of inevitability about the election results. The Opposition parties in both states failed to offer a credible alternative. Plagued by factionalism and defections, the Congress and other outfits missed the chance of cornering the ruling party on issues such as economic slowdown, unemployment and the persecution of minorities. The one-sided outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, too, cast a shadow on the state polls. Still, the Election Commission needs to explain why the sizeable increase in voter enrolment — about 20 lakh in Haryana in five years — did not translate into a higher voting percentage. The lukewarm response to the poll panel’s voter awareness campaign does not bode well for our democracy.