Bengaluru did it again: Nearly half of the voters give Lok Sabha polls a miss

Bengaluru's apathy towards voting continues in 2024 as well. On Friday, nearly half of the voters in India's Silicon Valley did not turn up to cast their franchise despite numerous efforts by the Election Commission.

Voting for Lok Sabha polls was held in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday, where a 69.23 percent voter turnout was recorded. However, the percentage dropped significantly in three urban constituencies in the city, namely Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, and Bangalore South.

The approximate voter turnout in Bangalore Central was 52.81 percent, in Bangalore North it was 54.42 percent, and in Bangalore South it was 53.15 percent. However, the voter turnout in Bangalore Rural was approximately 67.29 percent. Mandya and Kolar had a voter turnout of 81.48 percent and 78.07 percent, respectively.


During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the voter turnout was 54.32 percent in Bengaluru Central, 54.76 percent in Bengaluru North, and 53.70 percent in Bengaluru South.

"There is no explanation for it. That is the truth," a top EC official told PTI. However, some officials said that the scorching summer heat could be one of the reasons why people skipped the polls this time.

The Election Commission in Karnataka implemented various initiatives to boost voter turnout in urban constituencies. These initiatives included encouraging the public to use different apps and placing QR codes on voter slips to help locate polling booths.

Voter Helpline, "Know Your Candidate," and updating details about the number of voters in the queue and the type of parking facilities available at polling booths, especially in Bengaluru, along with an elaborate booth election management plan were among the other measures taken.

The EC also improved the facilities at the polling stations in urban constituencies. This improvement was based on feedback received after conducting a survey in areas that had low voter turnout in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election and previous Lok Sabha elections.