The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi voters' turnout goes up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 12, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi voters' turnout goes up

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 11. The Election Commission today revised the voter turnout figures for the seven Lok Sabha constituencies across the Capital that went to the polls on Monday from 46.85 per cent to 47.11 per cent -- a marginal increase of 0.26 per cent, but far better than the utterly dismal 43.5 per cent recorded in the last Lok Sabha elections five years ago.

Interestingly, the poll percentage for women was 44.57 and that for men 48.97. Though the turnout of women in East Delhi at 42.87 per cent was the lowest, Delhi Sadar with 55.15 per cent topped the list. In the Capital's smallest constituency, Chandni Chowk, the presence of television star Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party attracted more men than women. The women's turnout here was 47.7 per cent, and men's 57.43 per cent.

In Karol Bagh, where the two main contestants are women -- Anita Arya of the BJP and Krishna Tirath of the Congress -- 47.22 per cent of the women cast their vote compared to 50.09 per cent of the men. The average polling here was 49.42 per cent.

The Assembly-wise poll percentage for the prestigious New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency indicates that less than one-third of the displaced slum voters cast their votes in the Yamuna Pushta area. In the government employees-dominated Assembly segments of Gole Market and Sarojini Nagar, the voting percentage was 41.7 and 44 respectively.

In the Congress-dominated Jangpura Assembly segment, the poll percentage was 51, nearly 6 per cent more than the constituency average of 44.94 per cent, making it a close fight between the Union Tourism Minister and BJP candidate, Jagmohan, and the Delhi Assembly Speaker, Ajay Maken, of the Congress.

In neighbouring South Delhi, where the BJP spokesman, V.K. Malhotra, is locked in a direct fight with Supreme Court lawyer R.K. Anand of the Congress, the average poll percentage of 47.44 was slightly above the Delhi figure. The traditional strongholds of the Congress like Okhla polled less than 40 per cent, while pockets of BJP influence like Tilak Nagar, Hari Nagar and Janakpuri witnessed a turnout ranging from 52 per cent to 56 per cent. The government employees-dominated R.K. Puram registered a low turnout of about 40 per cent.

Things were a little different in the sprawling Outer Delhi constituency where the two Jat leaders, Sajjan Kumar of the Congress and Sahib Singh Verma of the BJP, are pitted against each other. Areas like Sultanpur, Mangolpuri, Madipur, Ambedkar Nagar and Nangloi Jat - all considered Congress strongholds -- registered between 50 per cent and 56 per cent turnout against the constituency average of 46.04 per cent. On the other hand, the traditional BJP areas like Shalimar Bagh, which in the past had witnessed heavy polling - almost 65 per cent -- and played an important role in the BJP's victory margin, the turnout this time round dropped by more than 10 per cent.

In the East Delhi constituency, more votes were polled in the BJP's traditional strongholds like Krishna Nagar as against those of the Congress like Qarawal Nagar, Nand Nagri, Jahangirpuri and Mandawali. Here Sandeep Dikshit, son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, is pitted against the BJP's Lal Behari Tewari.

With 57.2 per cent, the Delhi Sadar constituency registered the highest turnout of voters. Moti Nagar with 62.61 per cent recorded the highest turnout among all 70 Delhi Assembly segment across the Capital.

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