Maharashtra elections: 50% turnout missed, Colaba lowest at 40%

Of the 36 constituencies in Mumbai, 11 did not even cross the half-way mark. Explaining voter apathy in Colaba, BJP candidate Rahul Narvekar said the poll percentage was “almost at par with the rest of the city”. “The long weekend may have been one reason. But, I also think that the electoral rolls are made redundant by the inclusion of voters who have relocated and the exclusion of those who stay in Colaba now. The ECI needs to fix that,” he said.

Solapur: People stand in queues to cast their votes during Maharashtra Assembly elections, in Solapur, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (PTI Photo)

State school education minister and former Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar claimed the low turnout in Mumbai was not indicative of any trend. “I am confident we will win most of the seats with an over 50 per cent majority,” he said.

Colaba

While Colaba saw a polling percentage of 46.20 per cent during the 2014 elections, it dipped to 40.20 per cent Monday. Officials on poll duty at the booths in the constituency said that most did not see a queue even once throughout the day. “Many came to vote directly from their morning walks. We did not see a surge at any other point in the day except then,” an official said.

This is not the first time that Colaba has borne the ignominy of the poorest voter turnout in the city. During 2009 assembly elections, voter turnout in Colaba was the lowest in the state at 35.88 per cent. BJP’s Rahul Narvekar and Congress’ Ashok (Bhai) Jagtap are the main contenders in this constituency.

Bhandup

The constituency recorded highest voter turnout in the city, which was one per cent higher than the 55.31 per cent recorded in 2014. In 2014, when the Shiv Sena and BJP had contested separately, the former’s Ashok Patil had defeated BJP’s Manoj Kotak by over 5,000 votes. While Sena’s Ramesh Korgaonkar has replaced Patil as the party nominee, Sena workers are still confident of a victory.

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone shows indelible ink mark on her index finger after casting her vote outside a polling station in Mumbai. (AP Photo)

Compared to other constituencies in the eastern suburbs of the city, polling stations in Bhandup saw queues. Among its voters, the constituency saw enthusiastic participation of senior citizens, including 100-year-old Khilariram Sharma.

Worli

In Worli, where Aaditya Thackeray is making his electoral debut, Sena office-bearers claimed that the voter turnout was low as people from high-rises did not come out to vote, unlike during the Lok Sabha polls. “There was lesser enthusiasm among the people from the high-rises this time,” a Sena functionary said. A Worli resident said the reason could be that voters did not find the election interesting due to an absence of competition. The turnout in the crucial central Mumbai seat dipped to 50.20 per cent from 55.75 per cent recorded five years ago. Thackeray faces NCP’s Suresh Mane.

Bandra West

Workers of both the Congress and BJP said not many people from the affluent pockets of Bandra and Khar West had come out to vote. “People in Pali Hill are usually very prompt about voting, but this time the early morning queues at polling booths were not long,” said a BJP worker. School education minister Ashish Shelar is pitted against Asif Zakaria, a Congress corporator. Turnout at the end of the day stood at 43.7 per cent, down from 51.25 per cent in 2014.

Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavi show their finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during Maharashtra Assembly elections, in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Dharavi

Voters at a booth in the constituency faced delays due to a power failure on Monday afternoon. “Connection was restored in half-an-hour, but this led to an increase in waiting time. People had to spend 30 to 45 minutes in queues,” Dharavi resident Noor Khan said. Rain also played a spoiler here, with the booths set up on playgrounds filled with slush making them difficult to access despite wooden sheets being placed by the EC.

From Dharavi constituency, former state minister Varsha Gaikwad of Congress is pitted against Sena’s Ashish More. Complaints were filed with the EC by both the Congress and AIMIM alleging campaigning outside polls. The voter turnout here dipped from 49.41 per cent in 2014 to 47.79 per cent this year.

An unbreached bastion of Congress for 15 years, the assembly segment comprises 2.40 sq km Dharavi slum, home to around 60,000 families, will see former state minister Varsha Gaikwad defend her seat. This time the saffron alliance could upset equations in the constituency, making Gaikwad’s task tougher. The constituency has a large Dalit and Muslim voter group.

Jogeshwari East

Voter turnout fell from 55 per cent in 2014 to 52.8 per cent. Congress’ Sunil Kumre said several voters stayed away from the electoral process due to anger over trees being cut for the Metro car shed in Aarey. “Shiv Sena supporters did not come out to vote, and in Aarey Colony a lot of voters either did not vote at all or cast their vote for Congress,” Kumre said. Supporters of sitting MLA Ravindra Waikar admitted to having expected a higher turnout.

A man’s inked marked finger is seen as he leaves a polling station on his bike after casting his vote during Maharashtra state elections in Mumbai. (REUTERS)

After the MMRCL hacked over 2,000 trees in the area, hours after receiving an order of the Bombay High Court in its favour on October 4, several green activists protesting the move were detained by the police. While the Sena came under fire from for condemning the hacking of trees but doing little to stop it, it also affected its ally, the BJP. Besides, Waikar and Kumre, the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Vitthal Lad, an active campaigner since the protests against tree felling began in Aarey Colony.

Malabar Hill

Despite the low voter turnout, BJP workers were confident of incumbent MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha’s victory due to his work in the constituency and a personal connection with voters. Lodha last week was served a notice by the EC for allegedly making communal statements during an election rally in Mumbadevi. Heera Devasi is the Congress candidate in one of the most affluent areas of South Mumbai notorious for low voting percentages.

As voting came to a close, the turnout was tallied at 47.24 per cent, down from 52.54% in 2014. The area that is home to the city’s VIPs including politicians, ministers, bureaucrats and senior government functionaries has borne part of the “poor voter turnout” tag that South Mumbai has been notoriously carrying for years.

Versova

A locality notorious for voter apathy recorded only a marginal voter turnout on Monday – from 42.66 per cent to 41.50 per cent. “Several people went out over the weekend. That could have affected turnout. But I am hopeful of a positive result and hope to win at least 50,000 votes,” said Rajul Patel, a Shiv Sena corporator, who contested as an independent candidate. The contest here is between BJP’s Bharti Lavekar and Congress’s Baldev Khosa. Many residents of the area had earlier said that the Congress was missing in action in the days ahead of the polls. The party that has been struggling with infighting saw many of its leaders staying away from election campaigns.

Wadala

Seven-time MLA and BJP candidate Kalidas Kolambkar blamed technical glitches in EVM machines for low voter turnout in his constituency. “I got 3-4 complaints of problems in voting machines. As a result, people were made to wait in queues for a long time. Many people became frustrated and left without voting. At a few polling centers, election officials were slow in processing each voter. Also, many people told me that they were not given holidays by employers and could not vote,” Kolambkar said. In Wadala, the voting percentage was 53.08 per cent, down from 61.29 per cent in 2014. In 2014, it had recorded the highest voter turnout in the city. The major voter groups in Wadala included Dalits and Marathis. The contest was between Kolambar and Congress Shivkumar Lad.

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, left, with his wife Anjali and son Arjun pose for media after casting their votes in Mumbai.

Borivali

Borivali has been at the center of drama after sitting BJP MLA and Minister Vinod Tawde was denied a ticket. It was instead given to BJP Mumbai General Secretary Sunil Rane. Congress candidate Kumar Khilare has claimed that this will help his chances of winning. “Because of demonetisation, people are upset and their businesses are in shambles. People had trusted PM Narendra Modi but now they feel betrayed. Since many former Modi supporters seem to not have stepped out to vote, I feel it will help me,” said Khilare. Voter turnout rose to 54.20% from 53.64% in 2014.

Borivali has a large voter group in Gujaratis and is part of the Mumbai North parliamentary constituency that had the highest voter turnout during the Lok Sabha polls in April.

Belapur

In Belapur, 41.5 per cent voter turnout was registered. According to election officials, the maximum number of voters came in the evening. Several residents also stayed away due to a rain forecast. Belapur in Navi Mumbai saw rebellion from the local Shiv Sena cadre after NCP turncoat Ganesh Naik was chosen as the BJP candidate to contest the seat.

Nallasopara

Nallasopara recorded the second-lowest voter turnout in Palghar district with voters entering booths is larger numbers after midday. In Virar, some voters complained their names were missing from the rolls. “I vote at every election. But this time my son and I have been allotted two different booths,” said Dinesh Kelkar. In the end, the 58-year-old did not go to the other booth. “I am not voting because of the mismanagement of the authorities,” he said. A fierce campaign between Sena’s Pradeep Sharma and Kshitij Thakur of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi was marred by allegations against former Assistant Commissioner of Police Sharma distributing cash among voters and those against BVA workers of blocking his car. Turnout on Monday fell from 56.98 per cent recorded in 2014 to 52.06 per cent.