GHMC polls: Hyderabad reports low turnout, only 46.60% voters cast ballots
Of the total 74,12,601 electors, only 34,54,552 cast their ballots on 1 December.
By Sumit Jha Published on 2 Dec 2020 5:47 AM GMT
Hyderabad: The 2020 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections recorded the low turnout, 46.60 per cent. Of the total 74,12,601 electors, only 34,54,552 cast their ballots on 1 December.
The highest polling percentage was recorded in Ward Number 41 Kanchanbagh(70.39%), followed by Ward Number 112 Ramchandrapuram( 67.71%) and Ward Number 113 Patancheruvu(65.77%). The lowest polling percentage was recorded in Ward Number 96 Yousufguda(32.99%) followed by Ward Number 70 Mehdipatnam(34.41%) and Ward Number 24 Saidabad(35.77%).
During the 2016 GHMC elections, the overall poll percentage was 45.29 per cent. Of the total 74,24,096 electors, only 33,62,688 had cast their votes. In terms of individual wards, the highest - 59.19 per cent - was recorded in Erragadda (ward 101) in 2016, closely followed by Ramachandrapuram with 58.30 per cent and Cherlapally (ward 3) with 57 per cent. The lowest turnout of 33.98 per cent was recorded in Vijayanagar Colony that year, followed by 34.28 per cent in Mehdipatnam, and 35.82 per cent in Rein Bazar.
According to activist SQ Masood, one of the biggest reasons for people not turning up to vote this year is that many people didn't receive their voter slips by which they could identify their polling stations. "At various places, voter slips were not distributed by the authorities. Some political parties distributed them. People were roaming around looking for their voter slips and, in the end, they had to go home," said Mr. Masood.
He also pointed out that because of the demarcation of polling stations in the city a resident of Madhapur had to go to Kondapur to vote. Three members of a family were assigned three different polling stations that were far from their home, he added. He also pointed out that the names of many first-time voters were missing from the voters list.
Another reason, an activist pointed out, was that many private institutions did not declare a holiday for the employees due to which they did not turn up to vote.
Many people also pointed out that due to the delisting of voters before the elections, their names were not included in the voters list. Meanwhile, the list had the names of many people who are either living abroad or in other states. The list may also have names of people who have passed away, they said. Also, after a three-day holiday, many voters were out of town and hence did not vote.
People also said that due to COVID-19 many may have avoided the polling booths.
