Punjab recorded a dip in voter turnout from 76.8% in 2017 to 72% for the single phase state assembly polls on Sunday, while the third round of UP elections saw 63% polling as opposed to 62% five years ago. Held under the shadow of Covid restrictions on canvassing as well as a year-long farmers’ agitation, the Punjab polls saw a multi-cornered fight as new political combinations sprang up ahead of the elections.
In UP, the third round includes the ‘Yadav belt’ where 59 constituencies of 16 districts across three regions - parts of west UP, Awadh and Bundelkhand - voted on Sunday. Voting was peaceful, barring a few minor infractions. Three out of four constituencies in Mainpuri district - the stronghold of Samajwadi Party - recorded a jump in polling percentage. Such as the Yadav bastion of Karhal recorded a turnout of 62.32%, up 3.04% from the previous polls. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the assembly elections for the first time from Karhal, while BJP has fielded union state minister SP Singh Baghel. In 2017, it recorded 59.28% turnout. The seat made history with the second highest turnout since 1951.
The average voter turnout in the first phase (February 10) was 62.43% and in the second round (February 14) it was 64.44%. In the 2017 assembly elections, the average poll percentage in these 16 districts was 62.21%.
Mehroni seat of Lalitpur district, won by BJP candidate Manohar Lal in 2017, clocked the highest turnout of 71% with the district recording a maximum 69.05% voting, a 2.96% fall in polling percentage. It was followed by Etah at 65.70%, Mahoba 64.56%, Hathras 63.14%, Kasganj 63.04%, Kannauj 61.93%, Firozabad 61.89%, Mainpuri 61.51%, Hamirpur 60.56%, Auraiya 60.42%, Jalaun 59.93%, Kanpur Dehat 59.87%, Farrukhabad 59.13%, Etawah 58.33%, Jhansi 57.52 % and Kanpur Nagar 56.14%.
In Punjab, the trend as per the updated figures released by the Election Commission on Monday has worried the poll pundits as according to them there is a fall of 5.45% in the voter turnout if compared to the last state polls held in 2017. The turnout then was recorded at 77.4%. This is the lowest voting percentage when compared to that observed in the three previous assembly elections.
Also, the turnout in the state assembly polls of 2012 (78.3%) and 2007 (75.4%) was recorded more than the number of total votes polled this time. An officer in the Punjab ECI office attributed the low turnout to the ongoing pandemic, as according to him, voters seemingly were reluctant to come out and were not properly made aware that there are no restrictions even if one has tested positive.
