Lok Sabha elections 2019: Low voter turnout of 49.95% in Thane divides opinions

A dismal voter turnout of 49.95% in Thane on Monday has now started a debate on whether bastions will be retained or broken.

The general belief is that a low turnout benefits the ruling party. Moreover, the Assembly segment-wise voter turnouts revealed better figures in areas like Thane City, Kopri-Panchpakhadi and Mira- Bhayander areas, where the Sena-BJP has a strong influence.

However, experts though believe it is not so easy to predict who will benefit. Even though Thane has always been Sena’s bastion, the emerging population of cosmopolitan voters over the decade might even be a cause of concern to the saffron alliance.

In Thane, Rajan Vichare from Shiv Sena and Anand Paranjpe from NCP are up against each other. Thane City assembly constituency saw the maximum voting percentage of 56.58%, followed by 53.12% in Kopri-Panchpakhadi and 52.68% in Ovala Majiwada.

Milind Ballal, senior journalist, said, “Last time, there was a Modi wave and thus the voting percentage increased. How much the voting percentage increased by, owing to the Modi wave first needs to be analysed to know how people voted. It can, however, be said that the opposition was not successful in bringing people out of their homes in Thane, where the Sena has a stronghold.”

Another senior journalist Deepak Sonawane claimed that the results might not be so straightforward.

“The three Assembly constituencies — Thane City, Mira-Bhayander and Belapur — are with the BJP in this constituency. Here, the voting percentage is less if we compare it to last year’s voting percentage.”

He added that on the other hand, the voting in areas like in Airoli where NCP has its sole MLA is unimpressive.

In Bhiwandi, more than 60% voter turnout was reported in Shahpur, Murbad and Bhiwandi Rural. Here, Kapil Patil from BJP and Suresh Taware from Congress are in the fray for the Lok Sabha seat. He added, “There has been a lot of infighting in both the BJP and Congress in Bhiwandi, thus the voters can go either way.”

The final voting percentage in Kalyan was not available at the time of going to press. The latest figure was 44.27%. The low turnout in areas like Kalwa-Mumbra and Ulhasnagar, where the sitting MLA is from the NCP, has made the election in this constituency a one-sided affair. Sena candidate Shrikant Shinde might have an easy victory here.

First Published: May 01, 2019 06:27 IST