Kolkata: Complaints of rigging and booth capturing have dogged the election from the very first hour but now that the dust has settled on four phases of voting, the turnout figures reveal a startling fact - voting percentage has actually dipped this time in 12 districts over the 2011 figures, swinging from an eye-popping 7.86% in Murshidabad to 1.22% in Alipurduar.
It's quite strange considering the flood of complaints from the Opposition regarding ghost voting. If the dip indicates anything, it's sealed in ballot boxes but psephologists are intrigued. Murshidabad, one of the crucibles of the Congress-Left jote and where most of the "friendly fights" occurred between the allies, has seen a dramatic drop from 89.95% in 2011 to 82.09%. The next highest is Burdwan, with a nearly 4% dip and North 24-Parganas at 3%. In Nadia, West Midnapore, South Dinajpur, Malda and Birbhum, the dip is between 2% to 2.5%.
Only three districts - Howrah, Purulia and Jalpaiguri - have shown a rise in turnout. Howrah registered 1.92% more voters despite the searing heat and Purulia, where the mercury touched 40 degrees Celsius, was a close second at 1.92%. Jalpaiguri saw a marginal rise of 0.16%.
Psephologists believe the slide is a combination of political factors and weather. "The 2011 election was historic in many ways. People wanted to be a part of the change. That didn't happen this time. Though there has been a perceptional change in the political scenario, it came late. Initially, it looked like a cakewalk for Trinamool and people did not feel the urge to come out and vote," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said. The dip in North Bengal is because migrant labourers stayed away from the election, he reasoned.
The arrival of central forces much before the polls, the fiery speeches by political leaders and sporadic violence also played on voters' minds, say experts. "Common people don't have any agenda. They go to vote because they believe it is their duty. In this election, there was so much violence and preparations to stop it that people got scared," Chakraborty added.
When asked about the threat perception, additional chief electoral officer Dibyendu Sarkar told TOI, "We have ensured everything to make the people feel safe. We cannot force them to vote. If they come to the polling station, it is our responsibility to ensure their safety and this we have done."
The heat is also a deterrent. "This year, the summer is so scorching that people didn't get out to vote in the afternoon. If you see the polling percentage, hour by hour, you will find that the lowest turnout is between 1pm and 3 pm. The 2011 heat wasn't this bad," an EC official said.
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