It is not for the first time. Mumbai has a history of low voter turnout.
It is not for the first time.
Mumbai has a history of low voter turnout. By noon, the voting percentage was a mere 35 percent and people all over the country were actually begging to the Mumbaikars to come out and vote.
The numbers crawled up by the evening and reached 53 percent. It may be lower than West Bengal and Puducherry where voter turnout was 82 percent but it was an impressive turnout by Mumbai standards.
How?
The average voter turnout in the last six Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai was 41.40% (2009), 47.30% (2004), 45.00% (1999), 50.40% (1998), 45.10% (1996) and 41.60% (1991). So, 53 percent voter turnout on the election day was the highest for Mumbai since 1991.
But why did the people of maximum city chose to refrain from election?
Some may blame the government as, reportedly, many names were missing from the electoral roll. But this problem has a solution. One can check his/her name in advance and in the case of omission can tell the booth officers their voter ID number and cast vote.
Some has apathy towards government policies for they feel they have been left out. But what they do not understand is that voting is a solution to that problem. If they do not like all the candidates standing from their area, they have an option of NOTA. But for that, they need to go to the polling booth, which they clearly did not.
There are innumerous issues in Mumbai, government failure and crippling economy for one is the biggest reason why one should vote in Mumbai. But, interestingly, even after the November 2008 terror strikes, the voter turnout in 2009 in Mumbai was a low 41 percent.
Is it that they do not wish to give up the comfort of a holiday or is this a mere indifference towards making a difference? We guess it is a question without a solution, for Mumbai chose to abstain from voting.
Meanwhile, Twitter gave us insights as to what will make a Mumbaikar vote. Have a look:
#ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote a place to sit in Mumbai local
— Champ-u-terology (@BolshoyBooze) April 24, 2014
#ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote Sachin Sachin
— Ronak Mehta (@RronnSays) April 24, 2014
@BolshoyBooze #ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote Ban on Salman khan’s movies.
— Baawra Mann !!! (@baawra_mann) April 24, 2014
Set a poling station outside Amitabh’s and Jitender’s bungalow. #ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote
— Fakalogy (@Fakalogic) April 24, 2014
#ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote Hamesha ke liye KRK aur Rakhi Sawant se chutkaara. @BolshoyBooze
— D (@Chhota_Dawood) April 24, 2014
#ThingsthatwillhelpMumbaikarVote Pakya Bhai ka ek Call
— Dr JaaKe Votekar (@hitlerbai) April 24, 2014
#ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote Every polling both should look like Starbucks
— Guruprasad B Gudi (@Hindu_Minority) April 24, 2014
Mumbaikars only vote in Roadies #ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote
— Muslimah (@raziasultan) April 24, 2014
Tell Mumbaikars that those who won’t vote will be locked with Asaram Bapu in a room #ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote
— Sunil (@akshaykanitkar) April 24, 2014
Complimentary VIP pass on Tuesdays at Siddhivinayak #thingsthatwillhelpmumbaikarvote
— Sonali Thakker (@extremelibran) April 24, 2014
#ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote Tell them that gud for nothing Rohit Sharma wud not play for Mumbai Indians if they Vote :p
— Abhisek Agarwalla (@LonAbhi) April 24, 2014
Tell them its an Indian Idol audition. #ThingsThatWillHelpMumbaikarVote
— Sam Regrets That She (@vodkya) April 24, 2014
