Mixed voting pattern baffles pollsters
Narayankhed: As the stage is set for the third and final phase for the Zilla Parishad elections, political analysts expressed surprise over the way the polling pattern took place in some areas. Defying the scorching heat, people crowded at the polling centres to cast their votes.
However, surprisingly in some regions, a sizable number of voters stayed away from voting. For instance, as many as 59, 457 did not exercise their franchise in the recently held second phase polls in three mandals in Narayankhed division and Andole constituency. Among them, women voters are more.
In Narayankhed division, elections were held in Narayankhed, Manuru, Nagalgidda, Kangti, Sirgapur, Kalhermandals. Polls for ZPTC were also held in Adole, Pulkal, Vatpalli mandals. There are 2,58,133 voters in these mandals, out of which 1,29,737 are men and 1,28,393 are women while three of them belong to the others category. The total votes polled were only 1,98,673, out of which 1,02,305 were men and 98,368 were women. No one from category 'three' voted.
The reasons for this tendency is being analysed in different angles. Apart from the severe heat, most of them are having summer vacation. Especially, the migrated voters did not cast their votes in these elections. The migratory voters are more in Narayankhed, Manuru, Nagalgidda, Kangti, Sirgapurmandals.
In the previous elections, which were held for State Assembly, Lok Sabha and Panchayats, political leaders arranged transport facility to bring the migrated people from cities and towns. This time, no such arrangements were made. The migrant labourers who stayed in faraway places already visited for the previous elections might not have shown interest to turn up this time.
However, Kalhermandal has a different situation. Migrations from this mandal are comparatively less due to the presence of water bodies like Nallavagu. That is why, the highest poll percentage of 80.93 was registered in this mandal. Sirgapur has registered the lowest percentage of 73.74.