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Not a turnout to enthuse any democrat

For those who had expected a huge turnout in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, the actual numbers were a huge dampener.

Election Commission(EC) reports say that only around 65 per cent of the 16 crore voters who were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase, actually turned up - which indicates that of every 10 voters, only 4 turned up.

This compares poorly with the corresponding figure in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when approximately 70 per cent voters exercised their franchise, indicating a drop of around 4 per cent.

While many analysts had expected the voting to go up considering the increasing awareness about the need to exercise one’s right to vote and the large number of first time voters who had enrolled with enthusiasm, that has sadly not happened.

There is no point in blaming the EC though as it had roped in celebrities and ambassadors to generate awareness among citizens about the need to go out and cast their votes to ensure their participation in the great festival of democracy.

It had also tried to publicize the fact that there are increased facilities at polling booths to make it as easy as possible for voters including the elderly and physically challenged.

There is no doubt a lack of enthusiasm among voters to take pains to make that trip to the polling booth; it could be because of the scorching summer heat; it could be because of the reported absence of a strong wave in favor of any political party or formation in the seats which went to polls in the first phase.

Or is it because of other preoccupations like weddings for which the months of April-May are considered apt?

The effectiveness of a democratic exercise like elections depends on participation and so the numbers are no doubt most disappointing.

What is even sadder is the indifference of a large section of voters in a politically aware state like Tamil Nadu which saw all its 39 seats go to polls in the first phase.

Many seats in Chennai saw the voting figure hover around 50 per cent which is abysmally low considering the heightened political awareness among citizens.

And in a state like Rajasthan it was a paltry 58 per cent. There is an urgent need to make voters turn up at polling booths in larger numbers to add legitimacy, and vigor to the voting process.

For if this done not happen, we will be saddled with governments which may have the support of the majority of electors but not of the overwhelming number of voters.

Cadrebased parties which go the extra length to ensure that their loyalists turn up at polling booths, usually benefit from such apathy but what is at stake is the effectiveness of the polling process when a huge number of voters keep away.

There are many other factors too which make voter shy away from voting - like the problems of migrant workers who may have to travel to their faraway home states to vote and often decide against it; lack of literacy and voter awareness; the fear of violence during polling and a perceived disinterest among urban voters in every election.

Getting the voter to the polling booth will remain one of the foremost challenges faced by poling officials as India gears up for the second phase of the polls on April 26 - which will see voting in 89 seats spread across 13 states.

These include 14 seats in Namma Karnataka and all the 20 seats in Kerala and one can only hope that voters, realising the vital role the electoral exercise plays in sending the right representatives to Parliament, turn up in large enough numbers to make the entire process more fruitful and fulfilling.