Low Poll Turnout: Yeddy to Order a Survey to Find Reasons
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Mar 29: With Karnataka’s State Election Commission confirming that the polling in the just concluded Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections was barely 44.02%, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa indicated that the state government would order a survey by an independent agency to find out the reasons for the low turnout and voter apathy.
"It is a matter of great concern that the voters’ turnout remained low in Bangalore in all elections and Sunday’s election to the City Corporation is no exception,” the chief minister said.
Yeddyurappa lamented that the voters of the state capital, who are considered the most politically enlightened, were keeping off from casting their franchise.
The government is spending huge amounts on the development works in the city but unfortunately the polling percentage had seldom crossed 50% mark when the rural and mostly uneducated voters were turning up in large numbers. ``I don’t understand why this is happening,” he said.
Yeddyurappa said it was only the middle class segment and slum dwellers who come out and vote and added the faulty electoral rolls had also contributed to the electorate’s disinterest in coming to polling booths.
According to state election commissioner C R Chikmath, 30,72,799 voters out of the total electorate of 69,77,008 had cast their votes in 6,603 polling booths across the city. Varthur ward accounted for the highest polling of 61.59% while Bellandur ward accounted for the lowest 29.26% polling.
Chikmath pointed out that the polling was 46.72% in Bangalore north, 44.55% in Bangalore south, 44.74% in Bangalore central and 57.92% in Bangalore rural lok sabha constituencies held last year. In the 2008 assembly polls, the polling was 46.88% in all the 27 assembly constituencies coming under the BBMP limits. Polling was barely 44.32% even in the BBMP polls for the 100 wards held in 2001.
Counting for the 198 wards in BBMP would be held on April 5 and the results are expected around noon. The BBMP poll exercise is scheduled to be completed on April 6.
Meanwhile, the chief minister said the grama panchayat polls across the state due next month would be as scheduled and the government would soon write to the State Election Commission to set a date for it, he said.
He rejected opposition charge that the government planned to put off the election. The term of gram panchayats would end by the first week of next month and till elections are held, administrators would be appointed.