Maharashtra: Officials worry about effect of long weekend on polling

The state goes to polls on October 21, a Monday, causing activists and election officials to worry that it may get combined with the weekend and hit voter turnouts. Voting day being a public holiday, it could give citizens a three-day weekend. It is also the beginning of the festive season, with Diwali falling on October 27. Officials said there is a trend of poor voter turnouts during such long weekends, and with Diwali round the corner, there are chances that families may head out of town.
“People from the state, especially Mumbaikars will use the long weekend as a perfect excuse to skip polling day,” said activist Sadanand Patil, a Worli resident.
But another official said due to the holiday, those who need to travel to their native towns to vote, will be able to do so. “There is always a large number of people who travel home to vote, from metro cities where they work. With the holidays falling back to back, they will be able to vote without having to seek additional leave from work,” he said.
In the 2014 assembly elections, Mumbai’s voter turnout was 52%, while voter turnout in Maharashtra was 60.3%. The voter turnout in the state during the recent Lok Sabha elections in May 2019, was 61% — much lower that the national average of 67%.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Mumbai and its neighbouring areas went to polls on April 29, which was also a Monday — giving citizens a long weekend. The voter turnout in the city was 55%.