Madhya Pardesh: Migration, Women & Urban Apathy Blamed For Low Voter Turnout

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Migration, apathy among the women and urban electorates are three major reasons behind the low voters’ turnout in some pockets of Madhya Pradesh. This is the feedback, the Chief Electoral Office received from districts during and post State assembly election held last year in the state. The feedback was purely taken for the Lok Sabha election purposes. Keeping this in view, a turnout intervention plan has been prepared to motivate voters to come out in a large numbers and vote in a big way in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.  

As per the feedback, the border districts like Bhind, Gwalior, Alirajpur, Jhabua have migration issues and because of this these districts see low voters’ turnout. The election officers, now, have come out with a plan to contact the migratory labourers (working in other states such as Gujarat) on their mobile phones. CEO district panchayats have been made the nodal officer to collect the mobile numbers of migratory labourers.

The labourers will be contacted through whatsApp and would be encouraged to come to their native place for exercising their franchise.  To address the indifference of women towards voting , election officials are taking the help of women and child development department, health departments. The women icon such as Palak Mucchal would be roped in to give massages to women electorates and encourage them to cast vote.

Moreover, help from various social media platforms is also being taken to encourage youths to come forward and exercise their franchise. In box 2019 LS polls % MP turnout 71.16 % Bhind 54.42 % Gwalior 59.78 % Rewa 60.33 % Damoh 65 %, Sagar 65.51 % Indore 69.31 %  

ANupam Voters being encouraged

Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan told Free Press that various initiatives are being taken to encourage voters to exercise their franchise. Help of various social media platforms is being taken to engage with the youths and motivate them to vote. Every section of the society is being contacted and encouraged to cast the votes, said CEO.