Maharashtra showed an improved turnout of 60% in the Assembly polls held today compared to the 50.72% turnout in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, but it still lagged behind the voter enthusiasm demonstrated in Haryana and the traditionally high turnout state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The northeastern state led in terms of turnout with 72% of the electorate participating in the poll process, while the turnout in Haryana stood at 66%, chief election commissioner Navin Chawla told reporters here this evening. The massive turnout in Arunachal came in the backdrop of China?s reiteration of territorial claims over the state. Beijing registered its protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s tour to Arunachal as part of the Congress party?s campaign in the state.
In fact, it is Haryana which appears to have bucked the trend of more voters coming out to vote. In the 2005 assembly polls, the state recorded a poll percentage of 71.96%, very close to the highest ever recorded poll percentage of 72.65% in 1967. Among those whose fate will be decided in the 90-seat assembly include chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his ministerial colleagues Birender Singh and Kiran Choudhry, INLD general secretary Ajay Chautala and Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi.
On the other side, the political cynicism on show in the metropolis of Mumbai after the 26/11 attacks in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, seemed to have decreased with about half of the city?s population exercising its francise this time. Only 44% of the city had voted in the last general elections.
Polling went off without any major incident of violence, especially in the Maoist affected areas of eastern Maharashtra. Reports from Nagpur said that 50 to 55% polling was recorded in Gadchiroli notwithstanding the poll boycott called by Naxals, who also put up obstacles in about two dozen places to stop concerned staff from reaching their destinations. Neighbouring Gondia district also served a strong rebuff to the ultra-Left forces with a 68% turnout.