Lower Voter Participation in Mumbai General Elections: Heat and Delays to Blame

Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 52.27 percent in Monday’s general elections, a drop from 55.38 percent in 2019. The lower turnout was attributed to hot weather and issues with the polling process. South had the lowest turnout at 47.7 percent. According to the Election Commission, other constituencies’ turnout was as follows: North at 55.21 percent, North Central at 51.42 percent, North East at 53.75 percent, North West at 53.67 percent, and Mumbai South Central at 51.88 percent.

Many voters experienced long wait times, with some leaving without voting after hours in line. Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray suggested the delays were intentional. In Goregaon East, a senior citizen noted a wait of one and a half hours. Thackeray accused the Election Commission of partiality and alleged that its representatives caused delays in certain areas.

Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the Election Commission for not providing enough voting machines, resulting in long lines. She observed that voters who arrived at 7.30 am were still voting at 10 am. Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad from North Central also reported complaints about insufficient facilities and long waits.

High humidity and a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius made voting conditions uncomfortable. Key candidates included Union Minister Piyush Goyal against Congress’s Bhushan Patil in North, Sanjay Dina Patil of Sena (UBT) against BJP’s Mihir Kotecha in Mumbai North East, and Advocate Ujjwal Nikam of BJP versus Congress’s Varsha Gaikwad in Mumbai North Central. In Mumbai North West, Amol Kirtikar of Sena (UBT) faced Ravindra Waikar of Shiv Sena, while Anil Desai of Sena (UBT) contested Rahul Shewale of Shiv Sena in Mumbai South Central, and Arvind Sawant of Sena (UBT) was up against Yamini Jadhav of Shiv Sena in Mumbai South.

Prominent voters included industrialists Anil and Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, and film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and more. The overall voting percentage in the 13 Maharashtra constituencies that voted in the final phase was 54.22 percent.

Source: https://m.thewire.in/article/rights/election-commission-maharashtra-fifth-phase-turnout/amp

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