SHILLONG: The Election Department’s months-long campaign did not yield an expected result in the urban pockets of Shillong where voters’ apathy pulled down the total percentage from the 2013 level.
According to figures provided by the Election Department, the turnout in East Shillong was 69.13 per cent this year while the figure in the last Assembly polls was 73.63 per cent. Similarly, the turnout in North Shillong this time stood at 60.79 per cent, the lowest among the urban constituencies, while in the last election it was 71.45 per cent.
Voter turnout in Mawlai in Tuesday’s polling stood at 78.52 percent whereas that in the 2013 Assembly polls was 80.5 per cent. In Pynthorumkhrah too, the trend defied the Election Department’s ‘choose, cast and celebrate’ message and recorded a percentages of 76.56 as against 81.41 in 2013.
In West Shillong, the voting percentage this time was 73.02 as compared to 78.35 in 2013. South Shillong recorded 64.16 per cent polling, a dip from 74.79 per cent in 2013.
Nongthymmai too saw a decline from 71.66 per cent in 2013 to 69.96 per cent.
Responding to queries, Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said constituencies in Shillong traditionally and historically have low turnouts and the same constituencies in the previous elections had accounted for low turnouts.
“Urban apathy may not be true for all urban constituencies but traditionally these constituencies have not recorded high turnouts,” he told reporters.
According to Kharkongor, there were some pockets which had low turnouts “but voting in those pockets have gone up” even as he added that the East Khasi Hills district as a whole has gone up to 79.28 per cent which shows the district is doing well.
He said road shows and awareness programmes were not organised in Shillong city alone and the department focused on traditional markets.
“We will conduct a study in these pockets,” he told reporters while denying that there is any threat to the voters in the urban areas.
Sources said that one reason may be that a large chunk of students are still out of station during this season and moreover during winter months, some city residents take long vacation outside the state.
As some schools are yet to reopen, the parents of students and teachers are also away.
