1 week ago
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The high turnout in the parliamentary constituency of Mandya has been attributed to high electoral literacy and deep-rooted political involvement and activism of the farmers who constitute the bulk of the electorate.
As the hotbed of Cauvery agitation and farmers’ movement through Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, the district has been at the forefront of highlighting issues related to agriculture. If dissatisfied with the government of the day then farmers use the power of the ballot to make their voice felt, said Badagalpura Nagendra, president of the KRRS.
The final voter turnout on Friday was pegged at 81.67 per cent and during 2019 parliamentary elections the voting percentage was 80.41 while in 2014 elections it was 71.45 per cent. So the turnout for the 2024 elections has hit a new high and the electorate of Mandya have set the bar higher in terms of electoral engagement.
The high turnout was uniform across all the Assembly segments coming under Mandya parliamentary constituency. While Malavalli registered a voter turnout of 77.23 per cent, it was 82.99 per cent for Maddur, 87.20 for Melukote, 77 per cent for Mandya, 84.48 per cent for Srirangapatana, 84.73 per cent for Nagamangala, 80.63 per cent for K.R. Pet and 80.50 per cent for K.R. Nagar.
An analysis of the male-female participation also indicated that the participation of women voters was as high as that of men and the difference was fractional.
While there were 17,79,243 registered voters in the Mandya parliamentary constituency, the number of male registered voters was 8,76,112 and the number of women registered voters was 9,02,963. The actual voter turnout was 14,53,067 and the percentage of male voters who exercised their franchise was 82.24 per cent and in the case of female voters, it was 81.12, the difference being marginal.
The district administration like in all Parliamentary constituencies had undertaken a slew of activities under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme which had its impact.
Besides, Mandya which is reckoned to be a Vokkaliga heartland had grabbed attention for the high-profile electoral battle that was played out with H.D.Kumaraswamy, president of the Janata Dal (Secular) contesting from the constituency against the Congress which had fielded Venkataramane Gowda or “Star” Chandru, a political novice.
There is a perception that as the political prospects and future of Mr. Kumaraswamy hinges on the outcome of this election, a large number of voters turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. But this presupposes that a majority voted for Mr. Kumaraswamy and only the results on June 4 will indicate whether the high turnout has favoured the Congress or the JD(S).
