If scorching summer was behind the low voter turnout in the previous two phases of the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, then the situation seems to be becoming more worrisome ahead of the third round of polls scheduled for Tuesday amid rising heat.
Bringing voters to polling booths will be more challenging for election officials and political parties this time as temperatures in most of the constituencies where voting is scheduled for Tuesday have already crossed 40 degrees Celsius.
As per the data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the day temperature on Monday was 41.6 degrees Celsius in Sagar, 40.7 degrees Celsius in Bhopal, Gwalior (42), Guna (41.8) and 39.7 degrees Celsius in Betul.
Weather scientists in Bhopal have said that there will be no relief from the heat on Tuesday as well. “People may face more discomfort in Gwalior-Chambal and Sagar regions,” they added.
The Gwalior-Chambal region comprises five Lok Sabha constituencies — Gwalior, Guna, Bhind, Morena and Rajgarh — where voting is slated for Tuesday and the mercury has already crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark in the region.
Madhya Pradesh had recorded 67.75 per cent voter turnout in the first phase, which dipped by more than 9 per cent in the second phase to 58.59 per cent.
In the third phase, voting is scheduled to be held in the state’s nine Lok Sabha constituencies — Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Betul, and Rajgarh. According to Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan, the average voter turnout in these nine constituencies was 66.63 per cent in the 2019 parliamentary elections. In 2019, Rajgarh recorded 74.31 per cent turnout, Betul (78.26 per cent), Vidisha (69.61 per cent), Guna (70.04 per cent), Bhopal (65.68 per cent), Gwalior (59.75 per cent), Morena (61.95 per cent), Bhind (54.49 per cent) and Sagar (69.74 per cent).
The Election Commission (EC) has urged people to exercise their voting rights in maximum numbers. The poll body has said that elaborate arrangements have been made at polling booths for voters’ comfort.