Barring 2019, voter turnout low in Lok Sabha poll than Assembly

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 17

Barring the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout in the parliamentary elections has always been lower as compared to the Assembly elections in the state.

This trend had reversed in 2019 when a higher voter turnout of 80.1 per cent was reported in LS poll while a slightly lower voting percentage of 79.8 was witnessed in 2017 Assembly elections.

An analysis of the voting pattern of the past Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections reveals that people exercised their right to franchise more enthusiastically in the Assembly elections than in the parliamentary elections.

A turnout of 64.4 per cent was recorded in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections while in the 2012 Assembly elections, it was much higher at 73.4 per cent. In the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, mere 58.43 per cent voters cast their votes. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the voter turnout was 78 per cent. In the 2004 parliamentary elections, the polling percentage was 59.34. In contrast, 71.61 per cent polling was recorded in the 2007 Assembly poll.

Manmohan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Solan, said that various grass-roots level activities had been initiated to contact voters individually to improve the voting percentage. “These activities will be intensified after April 20 as polling will take place in the state in the last phase on June 1. In Solan, the disinterest of urban voters to casting their votes is a matter of concern and efforts are afoot to enhance their participation this time,” he added.

He said, “Besides, activities suggested by the Election Commission of India like the constitution of electoral literacy clubs in educational institutions are underway to enhance the vote percentage there.”

The Deputy Commissioner said, “To attract young voters, five youth-managed polling stations have been set up in all five Assembly segments of the district. The stations have been set up at Government High School at Bayla in Arki, Panchayat Ghar at Panwala in Nalagarh, Government Primary School at Tarangla in Doon, government high schools at Basha in Solan and at Narayani in the Kasauli Assembly segment.

He added that similarly, five polling stations managed by women had also been set up in the five Assembly segments of the district to attract voters in larger numbers.

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