KOCHI: Kochi showed the way for other big cities in south India with a huge voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls. Ernakulam constituency, of which Kochi metropolis is a part of, recorded 77.20 per cent polling. This is in sharp contrast to bigger cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, where the voter apathy was reflected on the low turnout. Kochi figures are impressive considering factors such as vacation and the big floating population, said experts.
In the second phase, IT city Bengaluru had recorded 56.82 while Chennai’s three Lok Sabha constituencies, with an average of 59.01, were among the poorest in Tamil Nadu. Another cyber city, Hyderabad, had a lower percentage: 44.75 per cent. Turnout in urban areas is lower compared to rural, but Kochi has scripted a different story. Centre for Public Policy Research chairman D Dhanuraj said Ernakulam has always performed better than other cities in elections.
‘The voters in Kochi are politically aware’
“The voters here are politically aware. Besides, they show more interest in national politics, which is always reflected on the voting here. The constituency witnessed a triangular fight, which also influenced voters,” he added. The turnout in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode was 71.40 and 81.34 respectively. It was 54.66 in Bangalore North, 54.29 in Bangalore Central, 53.47 in Bangalore South and 64.89 in Bangalore Rural. Chennai South recorded the lowest poll percentage in Tamil Nadu with 56.34. While Chennai Central recorded 56.89, Chennai North and Chennai City had 64.07 and 59.01 respectively.