Kolkata: The four Parliamentary constituencies in Bengal that went for polls on Tuesday in the third phase of elections, witnessed the lowest voter turnout in the last four decades. The four constituencies that had consistently witnessed 80 per cent turnout recorded 77.53 per cent voting, with the only saving grace being Murshidabad that saw over 80 per cent polls.
Considering the last two Lok Sabha elections, there has been a decline of nearly four per cent. In 2019 and 2014, the four constituencies saw an average voter turnout of 81.66 and 81.85 per cent, respectively.
Murshidabad, historically known for high voter participation, recorded 81.52 per cent in this election making it the lowest ever turnout in the last 40 years. In the 1980 Lok Sabha polls, Murshidabad recorded a turnout of 80.31 per cent, which is less than the current polling percentage.
Similarly, Jangipur registered a turnout of only 73.71 per cent, its lowest since 1977 when it was 58.07 percent.
In Malda district, comprising Malda South and Malda North constituencies, the voter turnout was also low with Malda South recording 76.69 per cent and Malda North at 76.03 per cent. Prior to this, the district only saw a turnout of 75.54 per cent in 1980, which is lower than the current turnout.
Interestingly, before the delimitation in 2004, Malda was only one constituency, which was subsequently divided into Malda South and Malda North.
“The installation of CCTV cameras in all the polling stations and the strategic deployment of Central Forces have contributed significantly in keeping away the unwanted elements from the election process. We have also taken suitable measures for corrections in the voters list that resulted in weeding out fake voters from the list. This may have contributed to this turnout.
However, considering the other constituencies in the country that went for polls, our polling has been satisfactory,” an official in the office of Bengal CEO (Chief Electoral Officer) said.
He added that there was hardly any complaint of false voting in this election. The genuine voters only exercised their franchise.
A section of political analysts however believe that absentee voters and public apathy toward engaging in the democratic process, possibly due to widespread political corruption in recent months, may have significantly contributed to the low voter turnout in this election.