Why Maharashtra and Jharkhand Will Vote on Wednesday, Election Commission Explains

New Delhi: Expressing concern over urban apathy affecting voter turnout, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said that polling days in Maharashtra and Jharkhand have been kept mid-week (Nov 13 and Nov 20) so that more people vote.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are set for a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand will hold its polls in two phases on November 13 and 20.

The Election Commission has raised concerns about low voter turnout in urban areas, particularly in cities like Mumbai and Pune. 

‘Elections Will Be Held Mid-Week So That More People Vote’

CEC Kumar appealed to voters in urban areas to participate in elections and said polling days in Maharashtra and Jharkhand have both been kept mid-week so that the issue of urban apathy can be handled.

"We are really really concerned about urban apathy. We want to appeal to all voters in urban areas to come and vote. It is not a healthy trend which is reflected," he said.

EC Flags Issue of Low Polling In Mumbai and Other Urban Centres 

"Look at Gurgaon, look at Faridabad, recently, last election Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Bengaluru South, Gandhinagar, Colaba, Pune, Thane... all are much below state averages of each state," he said.

"We will be conducting a special meeting of the municipal commissioners in a week's time to appeal again," he said.

In Maharashtra , voter turnout in 62 out of 64 urban assembly constituencies fell below the state average during the 2019 elections, mirroring trends seen in the Lok Sabha polls. He emphasized, "We will launch a special initiative for urban areas."

He noted that in the recent Haryana elections, some booths in the most affluent neighborhoods reported turnout rates of less than 20 percent.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us to address this," he added.