Voter turnout challenging task for political parties; election officials

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The assembly election process has begun and the voting for nine assembly constituencies in the district is scheduled for November 20. In the Aurangabad West assembly constituency, voter turnout was 60.58% in the recent Lok Sabha elections four months ago, and 59.55 per cent in the 2019 assembly elections. Increasing this turnout presents a challenge for all political parties and the election department.

According to the election schedule, candidates can withdraw their nominations until November 4. It will be clear after this date how many candidates will remain in the electoral race. There are 4.03 lakh voters in the Aurangabad West assembly constituency, including 2.10 lakh men and 1.92 lakh women. Besides, there are 77 transgender voters and 134 military service voters. Among these voters, 3,473 are disabled, and 4,771 are over the age of 85.

Looking back at the previous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, it appears that special efforts to increase voter turnout in the Aurangabad West constituency have not been significant. In the 2019 assembly elections, the voter turnout was 59.55 pc. While the number of voters has increased over the past five years, the turnout figures have not shown substantial growth. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, voter turnout in the West was recorded at 60.58 pc. To encourage higher voter turnout now, the election department is conducting awareness campaigns through radio and social media.

The Returning Officer (Aurangabad West) Umakant Pardhi said,” To increase voter turnout, the election department is organising debate competitions and painting contests in colleges to raise awareness among first-time voters aged 18 to 21. Campus ambassadors have been appointed in each college. Besides, we are conducting folk songs (like Bharud), street plays etc to create awareness at various locations. We will also be visiting the homes of citizens over 85 years old to facilitate their voting. Each voter in the constituency will receive their voter identification slip.”