DM inspects low voter turnout areas in South Dinajpur

BALURGHAT: South Dinajpur District Magistrate (DM) Bijin Krishna visited all the areas and booths where the voter turnout was low. The reason for the visit was to identify the cause behind the same and even speak to voters to create awareness.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has directed the District Magistrate to visit all the booths in South Dinajpur district where the voting rate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was lower than the overall voting rate of the district.

In South Dinajpur, the voter turnout in the last Lok Sabha elections was 83 per cent. As per the data of the District Election Commission (DEC), out of the six Assembly constituencies of the district, the voting rate was low in five Assembly constituencies, including Kushmandi, Kumarganj, Balurghat, Gangarampur and Harirampur.

A total of 57 booths have been identified in these five Assembly constituencies. Among them, 13 booths belong to Kushmandi, eight each booths in Kumarganj and Balurghat, five booths in Gangarampur and 23 booths in Harirampur.

After visiting all those booths, the picture that emerges of low turnout is that most of the men in those areas go outside to work. Among them, two booths in Kushmandi had polled below 70 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. One booth in Balurghat saw only 25.71 per cent voter turnout and another less than 70 per cent. The voter turnout in eight booths of Harirampur was less than 70 per cent. The District Election Office has emphasised that the polling rate should increase in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in those Assembly constituencies which polled less than 70 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

DM Bijin Krishna said that the DEC has already initiated various measures to increase the voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in these areas.

“Initially efforts have been made to address all the factors that have emerged for the low voter turnout. I wanted to visit all those constituencies to talk to the common voters to see how the report matches the reality,” stated Krishna.“Conducting awareness camps for all the electors. In addition, the people of the area were told that everyone should go to vote on the polling day,” Krishna added.