SHILLONG: Many urban voters did not prefer to stand in queue in this election which is one of the reasons for the less voter turnout in many city constituencies.
Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Kharkongor said after his interaction with a few city voters, it was known that they do not like to stand in queue and hence preferred online or biometric voting.
According to Kharkongor, may be in the future, there can be electoral reforms which can address urban apathy.
Most of the urban constituencies registered voter turnout ranging from 66 per cent to 75 per cent.
A contrast
While voters in the urban pockets lacked the zeal, there are some who are not deterred by any difficulty.
A father left his newborn baby with the mother at Ganesh Das Hospital to cast his vote in his village near Balat on the East Khasi Hills border. He came back on February 28 to Shillong. However, the mother could not vote.
Both the mother and baby are well.
“We need to admire their sincerity but it is sad to see our urban apathy,” Kharkongor said.
