BENGALURU: Voters of Mandya Lok Sabha seat lived up to the hype around the intense battle for legacy, registering a turnout of 80.23% — the only constituency to cross the 80% mark.In Karnataka, 14 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats went to polls on Thursday, registering a total turnout of 68.05%.
The high-pitched battle and vitriolic that flowed in Mandya between BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumar seems to have drawn voters to the polling booths. While polling in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll stood at 71.47%, it jumped by more than 8% this time around.
Similar trends were witnessed in Hassan, the turf of the H D Deve Gowda clan, and Tumkur from where the former PM himself is contesting. Hassan recorded a turnout of 77.28% as compared to 73.49% in 2014, while Tumkur saw 77.11% polling as against 72.57% in the last general election. The common thread in all three seats is that members of JD(S) first family are in the fray.
“In all three seats where Deve Gowda’s family is contesting, there is higher polling which means there is a wave either for or against,” felt political analyst and researcher Prof Narendar Pani.
‘Urban voter has little to get from govt or party’
Bangalore North which is witnessing BJP’s incumbent D V Sadananda Gowda pitted against JD(S)-Congress’ joint candidate Krishna Byregowda, barely managed to scrape beyond the halfway mark with 51.26% voter turnout. In 2014, the constituency had recorded 56.53% turnout.
Analysts feel that the urban voters’ disconnect, or rather the lack of dependency on the government, party or candidate, is largely the cause for lower turnout. “An urban voter has very little to get from the government or party, unlike a rural voter. The lack of enthusiasm about candidates could have also contributed to the dip in numbers,” said A Narayana, political analyst and commentator.
“The dip in polling percentage is substantial in Bengaluru, which means there was neither a strong sentiment nor a wave for or against any candidate. The choice of candidates may be a reason as well, but it is largely the lack of a wave,” felt Prof Narendar Pani, political analyst and researcher. While analysts and voters alike agree that the polling date clashing with holidays could have deterred voters, the possibility of voters who hold multiple voter ID cards was also not discounted. “Many voters in Bengaluru also hold voter ID cards in other places. If they choose to vote elsewhere and not in Bengaluru, the number are bound to drop,”Narayana added.