After low LS election turnout, Maha focus on increasing numbers in Assembly polls

Mumbai: The low voter turnout during the Lok Sabha elections in various constituencies in Maharashtra was attributed to urban apathy, seasonal migration of people in search of employment, priority given by workers in almost all industrial areas for daily wages over voting and displacement due to redevelopment in slum areas, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S. Chockalingam has conveyed to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Chockalingam made an exhaustive presentation to the ECI team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday terming these factors as a "major critical area" while emphasising the need for intervention by the state election machinery to increase the voters’ turnout during the upcoming Assembly election likely to be held in the second week of November.

"In the wake of urban apathy, there was less than 50 per cent voters’ turnout in 18 Assembly constituencies from Thane (6), Mumbai City (4), Mumbai Suburbs (2), Pune (5) and Raigad (1). This was because a lot of rehabilitation schemes and construction of new high-rise buildings were underway and in slums, the people preferred daily wages over voting. The elite group has lost faith and interest in voting due to an uncertain political scenario which was visible in Colaba and Mumbadevi constituencies from Mumbai," reads the presentation.

Further, the CEO has also pointed out that the voters avoid voting as polling stations are far from residence and also due to long queues. They also prefer to go on holiday than voting which was seen in Airoli, Belapur and Shivajinagar constituencies.

"Since the elite group usually consists of people from the affluent sections, they do not need much help from the administration for civic amenities which also shows the tendency to ignore voting,’’ reads the presentation.

Furthermore, the CEO has said that migration in search of jobs, especially by sugarcane cutting workers and Nomadic Tribes, lack of identification documents and marginalisation and disempowerment also led to low turnout.

In industrial areas, especially from Mumbai city and suburbs, Thane, Pune, Raigad, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Satara, Nagpur and Amravati, the low turnout was because the workers prioritise daily wages over voting, shift work, long working hours and lack of awareness and also the transportation issues. Additionally, in slum pockets, the low turnout was large because the residents gave priority to their daily earnings and not to voting. This apart, anger against the system due to inadequate facilities was also cited as one of the reasons for low turnout in slum areas from Mumbai city and suburbs, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

To increase the voters’ turnout during the ensuing Assembly election by addressing urban apathy, the CEO during his presentation before the ECI team has revealed a comprehensive strategy which includes setting up new polling stations at the premises of a cluster of big housing societies, door-to-door campaign for voters awareness, involvement of industrial and business associations, flash mob and street plays, multimedia campaign and engagement of celebrities and election icons.

In order to encourage migrated workers to cast their voting rights, the strategy comprises engagement with community leaders in talukas and villages, sensitisation of thekedars (contractors), landlords, and managers of small-scale industries, display of banners and posters at the construction sites, collaboration with NGOs affiliated with the labour department, special voter awareness camps for nomadic tribes and seasonal migrants and their employers and encouraging voters to shift their names if they have permanently shifted to another constituency.

In industrial areas, the strategy consists of stepping up voter awareness in partnership with industrial organisations and trade unions and holding rallies and street plays in the residential colonies of workers. In slum pockets, the focus will be given to conducting ‘know your booth’ campaigns, street plays, folk art and outreach campaigns with the help of social organisations through 'Chunav Pathshalas' and election icons. Utmost care will be taken to retain voters' names in electoral rolls who have been temporarily shifted to other places due to rehabilitation schemes.