MUMBAI: The rise in voting by almost 4% in the Maharashtra assembly elections against the 2019 figures has led the state’s political adversaries to claim an edge over each other.
According to the Election Commission, 65.2% voting took place in Wednesday’s polls. The count was 61.4% in 2019. In the Lok Sabha elections, 61.39% polling was reported. The voter turnout in the Assembly polls has turned out the highest in three decades. The state last recorded a higher turnout in 1995, with 71.7%.
In Wednesday’s voting, 97.02 million voters were eligible to vote across 288 constituencies. Rural areas, known for higher voter engagement, led the way, with the Karvir constituency in Kolhapur topping the charts at 84.79%. Gadchiroli district also recorded voter participation at 73.68%.
In contrast, urban centres such as Mumbai recorded 52.07% turnout, while Mumbai Suburban recorded 55.77% and Thane 56.05%. Mumbai’s Colaba constituency improved from 40% in 2019 to 44.49% this election.
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said a higher turnout has always benefited the BJP. “The Ladli Bahena scheme is a major factor behind the rise in the turnout. Women voters came out in huge numbers to vote for MahaYuti,” he said. “I personally spoke with people in about 25 seats and was told about the higher women turnout. They voted for MahaYuti.”
State Congress chief Nana Patole said the party was confident of winning. “There is huge anti-incumbency against the government. That’s why the voting percentage has gone up,” he said. He said there was anger among farmer and rural communities over fall in cotton, soyabean and turmeric prices which resulted in more people coming out to vote,” Patole said.
However, observers agree that urban apathy could skew election results in favour of rural constituencies, making their votes even more decisive in closely contested regions. They refer to Mumbai, which is home to 36 constituencies and a significant chunk of Maharashtra’s electorate.