Mumbai’s voter turnout is 54.1% marginally lower than 2019

MUMBAI: Mumbai is notorious for its voter apathy but this election, it has managed a respectable turnout of 54.1%, the final data shows. This is the second highest Lok Sabha turnout in the city in the last three decades. The turnout was also just 1.3% lower than the 2019 polls even though these elections were timed almost a month later and held during the school summer vacations, in the sweltering heat.

While the final figure for Maharashtra’s voter turnout for the Lok Sabha polls is still being compiled, officials from the state’s Chief Electoral office say the figure is expected to be 1-2% higher than the 2019 turnout which was 61%.

Observers feel that the sharply polarised campaign in Mumbai in the first major election after the BJP-triggered split of the Shiv Sena, may have motivated voters to step out. Mumbai was ground zero of the power-struggle between the two factions of the Shiv Sena for the control of the city. The two parties contested against each other in three of the six Mumbai constituencies.

As always, the elite Mumbai South constituency, home to India’s richest industrialists, recorded the lowest turnout at 50%. The Mumbai North constituency which is considered a BJP stronghold recorded the highest turnout of 57%. Union Minister Piyush Goyal contested from here.
The assembly segments with the highest turnout included Borivali (62.5%), Mulund (61.3 %), Mahim (58%) and Charkop (57.8%) and Ghatkopar East (57.8%).

Colaba in South Mumbai was the assembly segment with the lowest voter of 43.7%. Other assembly segments with low turnouts were Dharavi (48.5%) and Chandivali (49.4%).

The data on voter turnout comes amid concerns about a drop in voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls in the country.

Currently, the turnout figures of the fifth phase of voting covering 13 constituencies are being compiled. The provisional turnout figure for the fifth phase is 56.9 %. “This could rise and take the turnout in the fifth phase to 58-59%,” said a senior official from the state electoral office.

The fifth phase of polling covers an electorate of 2.5 crore voters. The first four phases covered an electorate of around 7 crore voters.

The voter turnout in four phases of the polls in Maharashtra was a marginal 0.4% higher than that in 2019. Maharashtra’s turnout was 63.7% in phase one, 62.7% in phase two, 63.5% in phase three and 62.2% in phase 4.

Voter data in the state is only available on the voter turnout app of the Election Commission of India. This only provides the percentage of turnout in the state, parliamentary and assembly constituencies. It does not give absolute figures on the actual turnout numbers.

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