Highest polling in 2014, lowest in 1999 in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 17

Despite aggressive campaigning by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the voting percentage has remained below 75% in the city since 1977. The city recorded the lowest 48% polling in 1999 and the highest 73% in 2014.

In the past 12 Lok Sabha elections, the highest ever voter turnout was recorded in 2014 at 73.69 per cent, while the lowest 48.34 per cent was recorded in 1999.

In 2014, four-time MP and Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal was defeated by BJP candidate Kirron Kher. Looking at the voting trend in Chandigarh during the Lok Sabha elections, both in 2014 and 2019, the voter turnout was 70 per cent or more. In the 2019 elections, 70.54 per cent of the total 6,46,729 voters exercised their franchise.

In 1977, the city recorded 66.53 per cent polling and the trend continued for the next three more elections. In 1980, 1984 and 1989, the city recorded 63 per cent, 68.10 per cent and 64.84 per cent polling, respectively. Similarly, the polling percentage in 2009 too was 65.50. However, for the remaining period in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004, the polling percentage came down to 57.31, 58.41, 53.23 and 50.91, respectively.

In order to boost voter turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections, the UT Administration has decided to rope in auto-rickshaw and cab associations, food delivery service providers, labour unions and other organisations.

The Administration will be engaging with schools, colleges, hotel and restaurant owners’ associations, CITCO, Tourism Department, industrial associations, labour unions, auto-rickshaw and cab drivers’ associations, online food delivery suppliers, etc to encourage people of Chandigarh to vote on June 1.

Recently, the Chief Electoral Officer, UT, held a meeting with the representatives of various RWAs of the Chandigarh Residence Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) under the (SVEEP) programme.

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