Bangalore city has once again recorded the lowest voter turnout among all the districts that went to the polls in the first phase of the elections in Karnataka. This is a continuation of a trend witnessed over the last three decades. What accounts for the apparent disinterest of urban voters towards discharging their responsibilities as citizens?

At the outset, two caveats need to be acknowledged. One, urban areas are witness to serious errors of omission, and commission, in the voters’ list. This fact was clearly on display on May 10, the day Bangalore city voted. In polling stations across the city, citizens were frustrated by the fact that their names were missing from the electoral rolls. In some cases, in spite of their possessing valid voter ID cards, their names were not found in the electoral rolls. This contributed to lower voter turnout in the city.

Officers of the Election Commission have reacted to such reports by saying that in many of the cases, the voters themselves are to blame. The EC had displayed the list of voters much before the polling date and had given several opportunities to potential voters to bring to its attention any anomalies in the list. Officials alleged that many of those who were not able to vote made no efforts prior to the polling date to verify whether their names actually figured in the voters lists.

The second caveat also merits serious attention. Many urban voters do not turn up at the polling booth as a symbol of protest against the way the political/electoral system functions. They are disappointed with the candidates, disenchanted with the way the process operates and disillusioned with the political parties. Their non-voting is a way of registering their dissent. More often than not, urban voters are likely to be more cynical of the electoral process and the ‘potential power’ of their vote to usher in change. The May 10 poll appears to be no exception.

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