The Uttarakhand unit of the BJP will have a lot of explaining to do as to why the voter turnout dipped, particularly in crucial hill constituencies, by about five percent as compared to the last LS elections. Were party workers too complacent because of the many high profile campaigners, including PM Modi, visiting the state? It is understandable that Congress lacked the number of workers and resources required for a door-to-door outreach, but what excuse does the BJP have?
Has the BJP become over-dependent on the ‘Modi Magic’ and is expecting to be carried to power without doing the necessary work at the required levels? This needs to be carefully considered as the party heads into the next phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. There are other factors behind the fall in turnout, but the BJP cannot afford to ignore its own failings if there are any.
That the election date coincided with the auspicious period declared for weddings is definitely one of the major reasons for the shortfall in turnout. It could not have been predicted in the many permutations and combinations involved in holding elections. However, it must be noted that the demographic that this missing section represents hurts the BJP more than the Congress. It also increases the impact of other demographics disproportionally. This will certainly affect victory margins. In UP, it could make the difference between victory and defeat in certain constituencies.
The summer heat is another major factor. Much of the election phases will take place in the hellishly hot month of May. It will take a lot of effort on the part of the political parties to ensure the voters turn out in the desired numbers. In the first phase, the Election Commission had made pretty good arrangements for voters’ convenience and speedy casting of votes. Hopefully, the polling stations in the coming phases will be equipped to maintain a ‘cool’ exercise of franchise.
With the nationwide spread of employment and educational opportunities for all sections of society, many of the registered voters living in distant cities and towns could not make it home to exercise their franchise. The next step in electoral reform should be the introduction of technology to ‘vote from home’, much in the way secure internet banking is done. Additionally, the issue of voters’ names missing from the electoral list has to be addressed, as numerous complaints have been received in this regard from all the places where voting took place in the initial phase. Hopefully, the elections will throw up an accurate mandate and such factors will not distort it too much.
