Will Bengalureans shed poll apathy? Let's see today

Bengaluru is infamous for low polling percentage. Voter apathy in India's IT hub has been a vexed issue for many years now.

While awareness efforts drew more urban voters in the past decade, election commission officials feel Bengaluru still has a long way to go to be on a par with other parts of Karnataka in voter turnout.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, carried out many voter awareness programmes, such as setting up 24,518 electoral literacy clubs to increase the participation of young voters.

The Bengaluru Urban district, with three Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly constituencies, accounts for more than one-sixth of the state's 5.1 crore voters. Voting trends in the last three Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, however, show that just about half of the voters in the city exercised their franchise. The voter turnout in other parts of the state was almost two-thirds.

The polling percentage has been steadily rising in the state since the delimitation of constituencies in 2008.

During the Lok Sabha polls in 2009, less than half of the voters in the city's three constituencies voted. The turnout was 46.71% in Bangalore North, 44.54% in Bangalore Central and 44.73% in Bangalore South.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, the voting figures improved to 58.27%. The trend continued in the 2014 general elections. All three constituencies in the city saw a polling percentage of at least 55%.

There was, however, a slight dip in the 2018 Assembly polls. Bengaluru's turnout was 54.72% compared with 72% in Karnataka.

The poll body hopes the voter turnout improves as the city votes on Thursday.

'Confident of higher turnout'

Bengaluru has always been a matter of concern as far as voter turnout is concerned. But this time, we are confident of a higher turnout. Resident welfare associations, educational institutions and employers have undertaken awareness campaigns. All this, we hope, will result in a better turnout. We've tried our best.

— Sanjiv Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka

Voter turnout in general elections

2004

Karnataka: 65.14%

Bangalore South: 49.42%

Bangalore North: 54.26%

2009

Karnataka: 58.8%

Bangalore North: 46.71%

Bangalore Central: 44.54%

Bangalore South: 44.73%

2014

Karnataka: 67.20%

Bangalore North: 56.53%

Bangalore Central: 55.64%

Bangalore South: 55.75%

Voter turnout in Assembly polls

Year Bengaluru Karnataka

2018 54.72% 72%
2013 58.27% 71.45%
2008 47.22% 65%