More awareness about polling in rural areas
| Date :25-Apr-2019 |
Staff Reporter RAIPUR:
It seems to be extremely ironical that in Raipur Lok Sabha, Booth No 172, covering highly affluent Avanti Vihar area has polled merely 20.19 percent while Booth No 108 – covering rural Thanaud area has polled 90.43 percent. It reveals that rural folks are more aware about their polling rights, while the affluent urban folks still suffer from voters’ apathy. This is the situation not only in the capital but in many other affluent urban areas in the state. Addressing media persons during a press conference, Subrat Sahoo, Chief Electoral Officer Chhattisgarh said after three phases of polling in Chhattisgarh, the state has polled 71.48 percent in the Lok Sabha Elections – 2019 in comparison to 69.39 percent in 2014 and 55.29 in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
During the Assembly elections in 2018, the state had polled 76.6 percent while in Assembly elections 2013 the state had polled 77.42 percent. In the First Phase, Bastar had polled 66.04 percent in Lok Sabha Elections 2019 in comparison to 73.02 in 2014 and 47.33 in 2009. Similarly, in the Second Phase, polling was held in Rajnandgoan, Mahasamund and Kanker and the total polling percent was 74.95 in 2019 in comparison to 73.02 in 2014 and 57.61 in 2009. In the third phase, polling was held in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Korba Lok Sabha areas where the total polling percentage was 7073 percent in comparison to 69.09 percent in 2014 and 55.29 percent in 2009. Comparatively between Lok Sabha Election 2019 and 2014, a growth of 6.72 percent was registered in first phase, a growth of 1.93 percent was registered in Second Phase and a growth of 1.64 percent was registered in the third phase. Cumulatively, the state registered a growth of 2.09 percent from previous Lok Sabha election.
Sahoo further informed that comparatively in the third phase, Raipur polled 65.99% in 2019, 65.70% in 2014 and 46.99% in 2009; Durg polled 71.66% in 2019, 67.89% in 2014 and 55.9% in 2009; Bilaspur polled 64.36% in 2019, 63.13% in 2014 and 52.32% in 2009; Korba polled 75.34% in 2019, 74.13% in 2014 and 58.42% in 2009; Janjgir-Champa polled 65.57% in 2019, 61.55% in 2014 and 48.59% in 2009; Raigarh polled 77.7% in 2019, 76.86% in 2014 and 65.36% in 2009; and Surguja polled 77.29 in 2019, 77.97% in 2014 and 61.62% in 2009. The CEO Chhattisgarh further informed that six polling booths including Bairagi, Seradand, Palaridand, Kurthi, Udhani in Bharatpur-Sonhat Assembly segment and Girjapur in Baikunthpur Assembly segment in Korba Lok Sabha have achieved 100 percent polling percentage. Similarly, polling booths where 100 percent women turn-out were registered include Nignohar, Gidher, Seradand, Revla, Majhgawankhurd in Korba, Jiragaon in Bastar and Raja-aama in Raigarh. Similarly, the polling booths which registered high polling percentage in the state are Jiragaon (Bastar)– 99.57%; Indraprastha-1 (Kanker)– 93.87%; Kandesar (Mahasamund)-94.25%; Dullapur (Rajnandgaon)– 97.4%; Matringa (Surguja)-96.31%; Kerakhol (Raigarh)-99.25%; Cherkadih (Janjgir)-90.73%; Bairagi (Korba)-100%; Kanai (Bilaspur)-91.95%; Lavatara (Durg)-92.59% and Thanaud (Raipur)-90.43%. Sahoo informed that while some polling booths coming under LWE affected areas registered low turnout while in some others due to urban voters’ apathy, low turnout was registered. Accordingly, Avanti Vihar (Raipur)-20.19%; Bhilainagar Sector-7 (Durg)-38.55%; Tripur Sundrinagar (Bilaspur)-30.73%; Deepka (Korba)-32.19%; Rawana (Janjgir)-30.57%; Urdana-2 (Raigarh)-35.11%; Pundag (Surguja)-12.41%; Chindidih (Rajnandgaon)-35.8%; Sendmuda (Mahasamund)-0.3%; Gattakal (Kanker)-0.9% and Kantabainpalli (Bastar)-0.2 percent. However, zero polling was not registered from any of the polling booths in the state, informed Sahoo.