In Bangalore, which is also known as the most civilized city in India and the Modern City, about half of the people did not vote. It is totally unacceptable news from the capital of Karnataka when people’s faith in Indian democracy is recorded as only half. Some who boycotted the vote in Bangalore say that no matter who is elected, all are thieves and do not do good to the people. There is no drinking water in this city.
Even if you take a shower or wash your car, you will be sued. Work from home was implemented to avoid bathing. How long can we Bangaloreans go without showering or washing our car? At this point it doesn’t matter who you vote for. In foreign countries and in the Gulf, water is not available despite rains and rivers. Sea water is purified and used in abundance. Why not do the same here. Many people ask why they vote for them.
In the Lok Sabha elections held on Friday in Karnataka, almost half of the voters in Bengaluru did not turn up to vote at the national level. Polling was held in 14 constituencies in Karnataka, and the polling was 69.23 per cent, according to the Election Commission.
However, the voter turnout in the three urban constituencies of the city — Bangalore Central, Bangalore North and Bangalore South — was very low. In Bangalore Central, the voter turnout was 52.81 percent, in Bangalore North 54.42 percent, and in Bangalore South 53.15 percent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the turnout in Bengaluru Central was 54.32 percent.
Election Commission officials were disappointed as the voter turnout increased despite intensive efforts to increase public participation, but we have no clear reasons for this. The reason for the people’s disobedience is not clear. A top EC official said that the scorching summer heat was the reason why people did not turn up at the polling booths in the city.
However, Bangalore Rural recorded 67.29 per cent voter turnout. Mandya and Kolar recorded 81.48 per cent and 78.07 per cent respectively. The Election Commission of Karnataka has come up with several schemes to increase voter turnout in urban constituencies this election — from encouraging the public to use various apps to locating polling booths on voter slips.
QR code is provided. Still no escape. Other steps taken include updating details on voter helpline, ‘Know Your Candidate’, number of voters in queue, parking facilities available at polling booths, especially in Bengaluru and elaborate booth election management plan. Even drinking water was offered to those who came to vote. Still, it is surprising that the voters stayed away.
The Election Commission is also ready to provide better facilities at the polling stations in the urban constituencies based on the survey conducted by the Election Commission in the areas where the voting percentage was low in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections and the last Lok Sabha. As a result, even though more facilities were provided, the voting percentage was lower than the previous record in Bangalore.
The attitude of the people of Bangalore, which is the techie city of India and the city of academics, is worth thinking about. We have to check whether we are losing faith in our democratic system or whether it is the fault of the people.
