THE second phase of the Lok Sabha elections covering 88 constituencies and 16 crore eligible voters in 13 states saw an overall dip of just under 3 percentage points in voter turnout as compared to figures for these seats in 2019 – the dip was smaller than the 4.5 percentage points witnessed in the first phase of polls April 19. Voter turnout on Friday clocked, as of estimates at 7 pm Saturday, 66.7%, according to Election Commission sources. The EC was yet to issue any statement or release the turnout figures at the time of writing. The overall turnout in 83 of these seats in 2019 – five seats in Assam went through delimitation and have, therefore, not been factored in the comparison – was 69.64%. In the first phase, the 102 seats that were up for election, with a little over 16 crore voters eligible to cast their votes, saw a turnout of approximately 65.5%, a decline from the 70% recorded in 2019. As of 7 pm Saturday, Election Commission sources said, Madhya Pradesh, which had six seats in Phase two, registered a turnout of 58.59%, a decrease of 9.41 percentage points from 2019 - the sharpest dip among states in the second phase. The eight seats of Uttar Pradesh that went to polls Friday had an average of a 6.9-percentage points decrease with Mathura, the seat where BJP MP Hema Malini is seeking a third term, having the highest dip of 11 percentage points, as per the constituency-wise turnout on the EC’s Voter Turnout app at 6 pm. The other states where the turnout decreased more than the overall : Bihar (3.6 percentage points), Kerala (6.8) and West Bengal (4.5). Turnout in the 13 seats of Rajasthan showed a decrease of nearly 3 percentage points from 68% in 2019 to 65.03% this time. Tripura too had a decrease of 2.7 percentage points. Turnout in the one seat of Manipur, Outer Manipur, was 81.9% in the second phase, however a part of the seat had polling in the first phase as well. Turnout in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Jammu showed a slight increase. Some high-profile seats, including Wayanad, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested, saw decrease in turnout as well. In Wayanad, the turnout decreased by over 6 percentage points as of 6 pm. An official from the Madhya Pradesh CEO's office said: "There were proper preparations that had taken place to ensure higher voter participation including augmenting existing infrastructure and voter awareness programmes. So far it appears that rising temperatures and a wedding season has resulted in low voter turnouts. In Madhya Pradesh, the maximum number of people are employed as farmers and this is the time they get time for marriages." Speaking to The Sunday Express, UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said: “There is no specific reason causing low voter turnout that we have come to know so far. It doesn't seem to be weather or heatwave since it was same weather during 2019 polls as well. Even during evening hours, the booths were seen empty. In yesterday’s second phase polling, Mathura recorded lowest polling compared to the previous one. It was 47 per cent polling here yesterday while in 2019 it was 60 per cent.” He added: "Harvesting season could be one reason behind dip in some west UP districts like Baghpat. We are running awareness programmes for long, but the reason behind such dip is yet to be known." Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said the tentative voter turnout for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala is 71.16%. “Compared to the previous Assembly elections of 2021, when the turnout was 74%, the voting of 2024 cannot be stated as very low. One of the reasons for lower turnout could be the prevailing hot weather condition in the state. On the polling day, voter turnout was rather low from 1 pm to 3 pm compared to the morning hours of voting. A detailed analysis can be made only when the final polling data is available by evening. Considering the polling percentage of 2021 Assembly elections, we cannot find a major fall in this year’s polling,’’ he said. Kaul said voting was completed in 95 per cent of the polling booths in Kerala by 6 pm. Polling continued at night hours only in a few booths in Vadakara constituency. Since more voters arrived at some of the booths in this constituency after 5 pm, officials took extra care to check the records and ensure accuracy, which led to long hours of polling beyond 6 pm, he said. Compared to previous elections, no glitches have been reported in EVMs. In the last election, the average failure rate of voting machines was five percent. But this time, only 0.44 percent of the ballot units and control units, and 2.1 percent of the VVPATs were classified as “damaged.”
