Urban areas lead in voter turnout in Jalandhar

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, June 2

While rural areas registered maximum polling percentage in the 2023 bypoll, urban areas saw a substantial increase in poll percentage in Jalandhar this year.

Overall, the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency recorded 59.07 per cent voter turnout yesterday. The figures for postal ballots are yet to be included in the tally.

While the Shahkot rural constituency registered maximum poll percentage in 2023 bypoll, the urban Jalandhar West constituency registered maximum poll percentage this year.

For several veterans and political analysts, trends of the Jalandhar constituency on the polling day this year were unusual. While overall 59.07% voter turnout in Jalandhar is considerably a low figure, it witnessed an increase of five per cent as compared to the 2023 bypoll. In the 2023 Jalandhar bypoll, the constituency recorded 54 per cent polling.

In figures

• This year, the urban Jalandhar West constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 64 per cent, followed by urban Jalandhar North constituency at 62.10 per cent, Shahkot at 58.79 per cent, Adampur at 58.50 per cent and Nakodar at 58.40 per cent.
• Kartarpur recorded voter turnout of 57.98 per cent, followed by Jalandhar Cantonment at 57.95 per cent, Phillaur at 57.80 per cent and Jalandhar Central at 56.40 per cent.

This year, the urban Jalandhar West constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 64 per cent, followed by urban Jalandhar North constituency at 62.10 per cent, Shahkot at 58.79 per cent, Adampur at 58.50 per cent and Nakodar at 58.40 per cent.

Kartarpur recorded voter turnout of 57.98 per cent, followed by Jalandhar Cantonment at 57.95 per cent, Phillaur at 57.80 per cent and Jalandhar Central at 56.40 per cent.

In the 2023 bypoll, maximum votes were polled in Shahkot, followed by Jalandhar West. The voting percentage in Shahkot constituency was 57.4 pc, followed by Jalandhar West (56.4 per cent). Phillaur, Nakodar, Kartarpur, Jalandhar North and Adampur came in next, respectively. Least votes were polled in Jalandhar Cantonment and Jalandhar Central at 48.9 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively, in 2023.

In view of the increased voter turnout in the urban areas and enthusiastic response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies days before the elections, the BJP was quick to take credit for increase in urban vote share.

A confident BJP candidate Sushil Rinku, hobnobbing with foe-turned-friend Sheetal Angural, said: “High polling percentage in the city areas is a favourable sign for us”.

Congress candidate Charanjit Channi said: “The BJP and Congress got votes in the city. While the BJP failed to make presence in villages, AAP did not get votes in the city.”