Maha records 65.11 per cent polling, highest in three decades

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aharashtra has recorded 65.11 per cent voting during the Assembly election which is for the first time in the last 30 years. The state had recorded 71.69 per cent polling in the 1995 elections when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance formed the government after the Congress party under the leadership of former chief minister Sharad Pawar refused to take the reins despite emerging as the single largest party by winning 80 seats.

As far as the Election Commission and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer are concerned, they heaved a sigh of relief as their efforts to boost the polling percentage have yielded positive results when compared with 61.39 per cent turnout during the general elections held in May and 61.44 per cent in the 2019 assembly elections. Compared to the previous elections, the voter turnout has increased by 3.7 per cent. The surge in voting percentage is also attributed to the increase in the number of total voters, which was reported at 9.70 crore against 8.94 crore during the 2019 Assembly elections, a rise of 8.50 per cent.

The increase in turnout by first-time voters was also visible across the state. In the case of Mumbai, of the 1.02 crore voters, 1,68,422 voters come in the 18-19 years age category and are registered as first-time voters. The extensive awareness campaign carried out by the state election machinery and non-government organizations helped to attract first-time voters. Similarly, women voters, especially from rural areas and towns, queued up for voting. This was attributed to the MahaYuti government’s ambitious Ladki Bahin Yojana. Nearly 2.36 crore eligible women beneficiaries have already received financial aid of Rs 7,500 for five months since July.

In Solapur district, of the total 38.48 lakh voters, 21.97 lakh voters cast their votes with a turnout of 57.09 per cent. However, women’s turnout was higher at 66.23 per cent compared to 62.50 per cent of male voters. According to the Election Commission’s compilation, Maharashtra had reported 60.36 per cent voter turnout in 1962, 64.84 per cent in 1967, 60.63 per cent in 1972, 67.59 per cent in 1978, 53.2 per cent in 1980, 59.17 per cent in 1985, 62.26 per cent in 1990, 71.69 per cent in 1995, 60.95 per cent in 1999, 63.44 per cent in 2004, 59.68 per cent in 2009, 63.38 per cent in 2014, and 61.44 per cent in 2019.

Although the Election Commission has uploaded a voting percentage of 65.11 per cent as of 11:30 pm on November 20, it is expected to release the final numbers of voter turnout by 11 pm tonight. However, some discouragement was seen in urban areas of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Pune, and Nagpur, where the turnout was 52.07 per cent, 55.77 per cent, 56.05 per cent, 60.70 per cent, and 60.49 per cent respectively against the state level of 65.11 per cent.

The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar expressed serious concern over the low turnout of less than 50 per cent in 18 assembly constituencies during the Lok Sabha elections due to urban apathy. The voting percentage was below 50 per cent in Thane (6), Mumbai City (4), Mumbai Suburbs (2), Pune (5), and Raigad (1). A senior officer from the state election machinery stated that during the present Assembly elections, a series of measures were adopted to address urban apathy by increasing the number of polling stations in high-rise buildings and cooperative societies complexes.

Additionally, private establishments were asked to declare a holiday on November 20 to enable construction and daily wage earners to participate in voting. Polling was held on a Wednesday rather than on weekends or subsequent days, which also helped voters cast their votes instead of going on holiday. He admitted that due to malfunctioning voting machines and slow voting processes with queues outside polling booths, urban voters had expressed strong displeasure that affected the voting percentage during the general elections.

However, the Election Commission's decision to decentralize polling stations in urban areas and allow four voters to enter polling stations at a time prevented a repeat of the chaos experienced during the Lok Sabha elections. Overall, polling took place peacefully except for a few complaints of technical snags and incidents of vandalism at polling booths.

Meanwhile, both MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi are claiming that higher polling will pave the way for crossing the magic figure of 145 in the 288-member state Assembly. Both parties believe that the increase in voter turnout was also due to the large presence of independents and rebels in the fray, apart from voters from different castes and communities thronging to polling stations to vote for candidates from their respective backgrounds.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, contesting from Nagpur South West constituency, asserted that an increased voting percentage is beneficial to MahaYuti. “The voting percentage has increased everywhere in the state,” he said, adding that their experience indicates that the BJP has always benefited from this increased percentage. The extent of benefit will be known after counting slated for November 30.

Fadnavis also mentioned that there are many reasons for the rise in voter turnout and noted that people have shown affection towards the MahaYuti government. He clarified that MahaYuti partners have not yet discussed any talks regarding the post of Chief Minister.

On the other hand, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole, seeking re-election from Sakoli constituency, expressed confidence that Maha Vikas Aghadi will achieve a majority and form the government in the state. Further, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed that Maha Vikas Aghadi will secure between 160 to 165 seats to form a stable government in Maharashtra.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at Sanjay.j@ians.in)

✔️ Maha records 65.11 per cent polling, highest in three decades

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