Low Voter Turnout In Hadapsar Constituency; Slum Areas Witness More Participation Than Residential Societies
Hadapsar, 22nd November 2024: The Hadapsar Assembly constituency, which boasts the largest number of voters among Pune’s eight constituencies, recorded the lowest voter turnout in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. While certain areas saw enthusiastic participation, several polling stations reported a lackluster response, with voting picking up pace only in the late afternoon as residents from slum areas queued up to cast their votes.
Hadapsar constituency has a total of 6,25,675 registered voters, comprising 3,28,082 men and 2,97,515 women. Despite concerted efforts by the district administration to boost voter participation, turnout failed to surpass the 47.23% recorded in the 2019 Assembly elections.
The constituency witnessed a four-way contest, with Prashant Jagtap from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Sharad Pawar faction) representing Mahavikas Aghadi, sitting MLA Chetan Tupe from the NCP-Ajit Pawar group contesting on behalf of the Mahayuti alliance, Sainath Babar fielded by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and Gangadhar Badhe entering as an independent candidate with the backing of former MLA Mahadev Babar. The campaign trail included visits by prominent leaders like Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Dr. Amol Kolhe, Raj Thackeray, and former MLA Yogesh Tilekar, yet these efforts did little to inspire voters to turn up in significant numbers on polling day.
Polling started on a slow note in the morning and remained subdued until 1 pm. While many polling stations in residential areas were almost deserted, slum-dominated locations like Vaiduwadi Mahatma Phule Vasahat and parts of Ramtekdi saw steady queues, even in the afternoon. The voting percentage eventually picked up slightly after 4 pm, with some polling stations reporting queues until after the official closing time of 6 pm.
Despite the administration’s arrangements to facilitate voting, including crèche facilities for parents with children, some polling stations lacked basic amenities like drinking water, causing inconvenience to voters. Enthusiasm among voters in slum areas was noticeably higher compared to those residing in residential societies.
The Hadapsar constituency’s low voter turnout reflects a broader challenge of motivating urban voters, even with high-stakes contests and efforts from political heavyweights.