Voting in highstakes poll contest sees marginal dip
PATTERN This year’s voter turnout of 68.41% was 3% less than polling registered in 2012
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat recorded 68.41% polling in the recently concluded two-phase assembly elections, a marginal dip of almost 3 % from the elections held in 2012.
In the last assembly elections, the average voter turnout in the western state was 71.34% — 2.93% more than this year’s turnout.
Of the 4.35 crore registered voters, 2.97 crore exercised their franchise in the elections held on December 9 and 14. Almost 52.60 lakh people were first time voters. A total of 70.54% male voters and 66.09% women voters and 41.60% voters belonging to the third gender cast their votes this time.
The comparatively low turnout also meant that little variation in voting patterns was observed in the 93 constituencies from central and north Gujarat that voted in the second phase on Thursday. Seekingtobankonan anti-incumbency wave, the Congress had stitched a broader social coalition by joining hands with leaders of different communities—Hardik Patel(Patidar), AlpeshThakor(OtherBackward Classes) and Jignesh Mevani(Dalit)— to take on the BJP in PMNarendraModi’shomestate.
The Patidar-dominated Amreli district recorded the lowest turnout of 61.29%.
Different constituencies, where the Patidars are in majority, including Mehsana, Visnagar, Vijapur, Unjha and Gandhinagar North in north Gujarat – the epicenter of Patidar quota agitation- recorded 0 to 5% voter turnout. The tribal district of Narmadasawthehighestpolling percentage of 79.15%. However, many constituencies in the tribal belt also saw over 8 % dip in the voting than the 2012 elections.
In 182 seats from 33 districts across Gujarat, there were a
OF THE 4.35 CRORE REGISTERED VOTERS, 2.97 CRORE EXERCISED THEIR FRANCHISE IN THE ELECTIONS HELD ON DECEMBER 9 AND 14
total 1,828 candidates in the fray. The BJP had fielded its candidates in all 182 seats while the Congress had named 176 nominees. The grand old party had gone into the elections with a sharing arrangement over five seats with the Bhartiya Tribal Party and it had not fielded any candidate against independent candidate Jignesh Mevani in Vadgam.
While both the BJP and Congress have made claims for the victory, most the exit polls released on Thursday over predicted a win for the BJP, which has been forming the government in Gujarat for the past 22 years.