Malerkotla falls short of 70% turnout target as women voters keep away

Malerkotla, June 5

Having reached close to target of 70 per cent voter turnout with 69.76 per cent, this Assembly constituency of Sangrur Lok Sabha seat could have emerged ‘Sattar Paar’ achiever, had women voters not shied away from voting on last Saturday. Third gender voters, though negligible in number, exhibited hundred per cent polling.

Scrutiny of the data at 201 polling stations of the segment revealed that male voters had achieved the target recommended by Election Commission by polling 71.33 per cent votes whereas female vote percentage shrunk to 67.98.

Perusal of the records relating to the polling station wise polling process revealed that 60,078 male voters out of the total number of 84,219 had used their right to vote accounting for 71.33 per cent against the total percentage of 69.76.

Only 50,881 female voters out of the total 74,840 had cast their vote with percentage coming out to be 67.98. All the eight third gender voters proudly used their right to vote in Malerkotla.

Random analysis of some polling stations situated in city and rural localities showed that 64, 62, 65.5, 61.2 and 78.8 per cent female voters had reached their respective polling booths numbering 72, 82, 92, 102 and 112 of the city.

In rural localities, polling booths numbering 02, 12, 22, 32 and 42 registered 57, 71.76, 58.35, 68.75 and 64.97 per cent polling among women voters.

Higher percentage of polling among women at 112 and 42 number booths was reported to be due to canvassing by women elected members of civic bodies in concerned localities.

Acknowledging the trend, Nodal SVEEP Officer Mohammad Irfan Faruqi claimed that poll percentage among women voters had dipped due to their preoccupied household schedule. “A significant number of household women and maids working as domestic help, could not manage to reach the polling stations secondarily due to lack of interest,” said Faruqi.