During the 2017 civic elections, Dhantoli Zone had recorded the lowest voter turnout at just 49.36 per cent. Data from previous civic polls indicates voter apathy in this Zone among few others, particularly belonging to central and relatively affluent localities. When we talk at the ward level, Ward 14 in the Dharampeth Zone fared even worse. It registered the lowest turnout at 46.31 per cent. These figures stand in stark contrast to Lakadganj Zone, it recorded the highest turnout at 57.89 per cent, while Ward 25 in the same zone led the city with 64.01 per cent polling. The disparity was further evident in Gandhibagh Zone, which had the highest number of registered voters at 2,40,144 in 2017, but saw only 1,32,359 voters turn up, which means a turnout of 55.12 per cent, nearly three per cent lower than the city’s best-performing zone.

 

Dhantoli zone, despite having 1,85,025 registered voters, recorded only 91,322 votes cast. Nagpur’s overall voter turnout has shown only marginal improvement over time. Turnout increased from 52 percent in the 2012 civic elections to 53.72 percent in 2017, a rise of just 1.72 percent. Of the total electorate of 20,93,292 voters in 2017, only 11,24,631 exercised their franchise. As the city prepares for polls, this historical pattern of low turnout assumes greater significance due to a dramatic expansion in electorate.

 

The final ward-wise voters’ list published recently places Nagpur’s electorate at 24,83,112 voters, comprising 12,26,690 men, 12,56,166 women, and 256 voters listed under Others’ category. The electorate has hence risen by 3.9 lakh voters from 2017 elections to this one, which signifies an 18.6 per cent rise. Polling booths have increased from around 2,700 in 2017 to 3,004 this time. Prabhag 29 recorded the largest increase in voter base, rising from 68,711 to 81,878 voters, while Prabhag 8 saw its electorate jump from 65,276 to 75,739. Prabhags 1, 2, and 11 also recorded notable gains. In contrast, Prabhags 3, 9, 14, and 24 saw decline.