India Election: Brisk Voting in Second Phase, UP Records Lowest Voter Turnout 

New Delhi: India has voted in the second phase of India’s monumental election, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his challengers raise the pitch of the campaign by focusing on hot-button issues such as religious discrimination, affirmative action and taxes.

Almost one billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general election that began on April 19 and concludes on June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4.

But the low voter turn out has raised the serious concern among all the political parties in the fray. In the last Lok Sabha election (2019), voter turnout in India averaged around 70%, but this year’s Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha elections showed a marked decrease, with only around 60 % turnout as per the poll body’s data.

Less than 50% of voters came to polling booths to cast their votes in six constituencies — Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Bhagalpur in Bihar, Mathura and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Bengaluru South and Central in Karnataka.

A total of 88 seats out of the 543 in the lower house of parliament went to the polls on Friday, with 160 million people eligible to vote across 13 states and federal territories.

State-wise, Assam saw a reduction in voter turnout ranging from eight per cent to 13.9% across constituencies. Bihar’s constituencies experienced an 8.23% to 12% fall.

#LokSabhaElections2024 “Over 60% #Voter Turnout Recorded In 13 States, UTs Till 5 pm In Phase 2”

Assam 70.66%; BR 53.03% ; Chhattisgarh 72.13% ; JK 67.22% ; Kenatka 63.90%; KL 63.97%
MP 54.83% ; MH 53.51%; Manipur 76.06% ; RJ 59.19% ; Tripura 77.53%; UP 52.74%; WB 71.84% pic.twitter.com/KXqv9jwWs2

— Dr. Shahid Siddiqui (@shahidsiddiqui) April 26, 2024

Chhattisgarh saw comparatively minor drops, with the smallest being only 0.86%. States like Karnataka and Kerala also reported significant downturns, with Kerala observing double-digit declines, the most substantial of which was 18.24 % in Vadakara.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan noted significant falls in turnout, with Rajasthan’s Ajmer district experiencing a notable 14.89 % drop. Other states, including Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, followed this downward trend, confirming a widespread decrease in electoral engagement across the board. No state showed an increase in voter turnout, highlighting a nationwide trend of diminished voter participation in this phase of the elections.

Common States of Low Voters Turnout

Eleven states and Union Territories voted in the two phases, and the trend of low voter turnout continued in this one as well. Of the 11 such states — Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal — turnout remained lowest in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar as of 5 pm. Both states witnessed a voter turnout of around 53% .  Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan also saw low voter turnout of less than 60%.

In contrast, voter turnout was highest more than 75% in Tripura and Manipur. In the first phase as well, both states saw a comparatively high voter turnout. Overall, the voter turnout in these 11 states and UTs was 64% in Phase-1 and 63% in Phase-2. 

As per the Election Commission, the overall turnout in the second phase was 60.96 percent till 7 pm, the final official voter urnout will be released by Saturday, April 27.

Over ver low turnout in the second phase of Lok Sabha Election, Political activists also expressed concern, stating that factors like social engagements, inclement weather, farming, among other could have contributed to low turnout. 

However, it is too early to tell if these are indications of disenchantment of three of the four ‘castes’ posited by the Prime Minister farmers, youth women and the poor — but a mass of observations pointing in a similar direction can be worrying signs for the BJP.

– Dr. Shahid Siddiqui; Follow via X @shahidsiddiqui

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