Voter turnout plunges in Patidardominated areas

DECODING THE DIP Experts say the trend could point to discontent with current government but the feeling may not be strong enough to spur many into voting for the rival Congress party

AHMEDABAD: Fewer people voted in the first round of Gujarat elections this year compared to 2012, according to the Election Commission that released on Sunday the final turn out figures showing a 4.7 percentage point drop.

The biggest fall was in the Patid ar-dominated Saurashtra region that accounts for 48 of 89 assembly constituencies where polling was held on Saturday.

The other regions are Kutch and South Gujarat. The remaining will vote on December 14 and the results will be declared on December 18.

According to the final figures, 66.75% of the registered elect orate voted on Saturday, down from 71.35% in the same constituencies in 2012. The tribal district of Narmada recorded the highest turnout of 79.15%, while Devbhumi Dwarka, which has a significant population of OBCs, registered the lowest at 59.39%.

The maximum fall—between five and 12 percentage points — was reported from rural areas dominated by Patidars, who are seen as key to the opposition Congress’ s efforts tow rest power from the B ha ra ti ya Jan at a Party that has ruled Gujarat for 22 years.

Experts say a fall in turnout might point to discontentment with the current government, but the feeling may not be strong enough to spur many into voting for the Congress.

“The trend indicates lack of enthusiasm in the rural voters, compared to 2012. But we should also not forget that 2012 saw higher turnout as it was pitched as the last election of Narendra Modi before he made the leap for Delhi,” said political analyst Jwalant Chhaya.

The Patidars — who turned against the BJP in 2015 over demands for reservations in jobs and college admissions— constitute 12% of the population and can influence the result in about 60 assembly seats. Hardik Patel, widely regarded as the most prominent face of the quota struggle, announced his support for the Congress last month.

In urban pockets dominated by Patidars, such as Morbi, Rajkot East, Jetput, Jamnagar North, Surat North and Katargam, the di pin voter turn out was less compared to the rural areas.

The only exception was Rajkot West, where chief minister Vi jay Rupani is contesting: Voting went up by 4.07 percentage points.

When seen by region, the turnout drop was sharpest in Saurashtra (six percentage point ), followed by Kutch (3.63 percentage point) and south Gujarat (3.22 percentage point).

All south Gujarat districts — barring Surat—reported a turnout of more than 70%, while Saurashtra-Kutch region reported overall polling of 64.21%. Kutch recorded 64.88% voter turnout.

Among the assembly constituencies, Dediapada, a seat in Narmada reserved for Schedule Tribe contestants, saw the highest voter turnout at 84.63%, and Gandhidham (SC) seat in Kutch registered the lowest at 54.18%.