Lowest turnout keeps big parties on tenterhooks
NEW DELHI: The drop in the overall voting percentage below 60% in the fifth phase of polls has got political rivals — SP-Congress alliance, BJP and BSP — guessing its ramifications on their poll prospects.
The polling for 51 assembly segments across 11 districts in the fifth phase on Monday witnessed a 57.36% poll as against over 60% poll in the four previous phases — 64.2%, 65.5%, 61.16% and 61%.
Curiously, voting in two highprofile districts, Amethi and Sultanpur, whose assembly segments fall under the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi and BJP leader Varun Gandhi respectively witnessed a lower poll percentage than the average poll percentage of the fifth phase altogether.
While Amethi district witnessed 56.25% polling, the district of Sultanpur witnessed 56.35% poll as against 57.36% polling till five pm on Monday.
Apart from these two districts, the polling percentage of six more districts — Siddhartnagar (51.82%), Sant Kabir Nagar (52.31%), Balrampur (54.25%) and Gonda (56.73%) — seem to have dragged down the overall poll percentage in the fifth phase on Monday. The polling percentage in all these districts fell below the relatively low average polling of fifth phase.
Though political parties are keeping their fingers crossed on this lower turnout, each side is trying to claim that their voters have turned out while the rival parties votes have failed to vote in large numbers.
Sources within the SP an BSP claim that their core support bases of Yadav-Muslim and Dalits are politically alert and have turned out in large numbers to suggest that this low percentage voting should worry the BJP.
“SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was constantly on the phone speaking to party cadres across districts of fifth phase on the polling day and he was satisfied with the turnout among SP’s supporters,” confided a SP leader suggesting that this low turnout should worry BJP as their traditional upper-caste support base is notorious for lower turnout. Even BSP leaders claim that their Dalit support base always turns out in largest proportion and the lower turnout should worry BSP’s rivals, namely SP-Congress and BJP.
BJP leaders, however, sought to suggest otherwise. They sought to suggest that poll turnout has been lower in districts with substantial Muslim population and point out lower voting percentage in Siddharthanagar, Sant Kabir Nagar and Balrampur. “With SP-Congress and BSP competing for Muslim votes, the lower turnout in these districts should worry them,” confided a BJP leader.
However, the party failed to explain better polling percentage in Bharaich district (59.60%) than the phase average despite the district having substantial Muslim population.
The BJP’s reasoning doesn’t explain sharp dip in poll percentage in Sultanpur and Faizabad districts, both of which are represented by BJP leaders in Lok Sabha. While Sultanpur witnessed massive dip in the poll percentage from 68.60% (2012 assembly) to 56.53% (2017), Faizabad registered a dip from 69.61% (2012) to 60.14%.
The sub-60% poll percentage in the fifth phase of polling seem to have put all the three political contenders for the seat of power in Lucknow searching answers and prepare better for the remaining two phases.
The polling for 51 assembly segments across 11 districts in the fifth phase on Monday witnessed a 57.36% poll as against over 60% poll in the four previous phases — 64.2%, 65.5%, 61.16% and 61%.
Curiously, voting in two highprofile districts, Amethi and Sultanpur, whose assembly segments fall under the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi and BJP leader Varun Gandhi respectively witnessed a lower poll percentage than the average poll percentage of the fifth phase altogether.
While Amethi district witnessed 56.25% polling, the district of Sultanpur witnessed 56.35% poll as against 57.36% polling till five pm on Monday.
Apart from these two districts, the polling percentage of six more districts — Siddhartnagar (51.82%), Sant Kabir Nagar (52.31%), Balrampur (54.25%) and Gonda (56.73%) — seem to have dragged down the overall poll percentage in the fifth phase on Monday. The polling percentage in all these districts fell below the relatively low average polling of fifth phase.
Though political parties are keeping their fingers crossed on this lower turnout, each side is trying to claim that their voters have turned out while the rival parties votes have failed to vote in large numbers.
Sources within the SP an BSP claim that their core support bases of Yadav-Muslim and Dalits are politically alert and have turned out in large numbers to suggest that this low percentage voting should worry the BJP.
“SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was constantly on the phone speaking to party cadres across districts of fifth phase on the polling day and he was satisfied with the turnout among SP’s supporters,” confided a SP leader suggesting that this low turnout should worry BJP as their traditional upper-caste support base is notorious for lower turnout. Even BSP leaders claim that their Dalit support base always turns out in largest proportion and the lower turnout should worry BSP’s rivals, namely SP-Congress and BJP.
BJP leaders, however, sought to suggest otherwise. They sought to suggest that poll turnout has been lower in districts with substantial Muslim population and point out lower voting percentage in Siddharthanagar, Sant Kabir Nagar and Balrampur. “With SP-Congress and BSP competing for Muslim votes, the lower turnout in these districts should worry them,” confided a BJP leader.
However, the party failed to explain better polling percentage in Bharaich district (59.60%) than the phase average despite the district having substantial Muslim population.
The BJP’s reasoning doesn’t explain sharp dip in poll percentage in Sultanpur and Faizabad districts, both of which are represented by BJP leaders in Lok Sabha. While Sultanpur witnessed massive dip in the poll percentage from 68.60% (2012 assembly) to 56.53% (2017), Faizabad registered a dip from 69.61% (2012) to 60.14%.
The sub-60% poll percentage in the fifth phase of polling seem to have put all the three political contenders for the seat of power in Lucknow searching answers and prepare better for the remaining two phases.
