Less than expected voting percentage of 67 means voters were not swayed by any wave, feel BJP and Congress
A lower turnout in the first phase of the Assembly elections in Gujarat has left both the ruling as well as the main opposition party perplexed. A lower than expected voting percentage is a sign that voters were not swayed by any wave, may it be pro or anti to any party, feel the parties. Nearly 67 percent of the eligible voters in the state cast their ballot on Saturday, down from 72 percent in 2012.
Opposition Congress was expecting a huge turnout in the Patel-dominated Saurashtra region. The party had pinned its hopes on the unrest among the Patels over reservation and their perceived anger against the BJP.
A senior Congress leader from Saurashtra called it a "suffocating" situation. "We are not in position to make out what the voting pattern indicates. This shows that no wave worked this time, be it pro BJP or anti BJP. We were expecting that the Patel community would vote against BJP. If they were determined to topple the BJP, they would have voted in large numbers."
While the BJP is relieved at the news from Saurashtra, it too is in a quandary. The party is unsure if a sizeable number of OBC voters, who have supported the BJP, came out to cast their ballot. This factor could swing the equations, feels the BJP.
A senior BJP leader said their target of 150+ will be "next to impossible" if the second phase numbers throw up a similar pattern. "We can heave a sigh of relief considering that the Patel community did not vent our its angst through the EVMs. But when we consider OBC seats, it is not that high. So if we go with the theory that a higher turnout benefits the ruling party, that doesn't augur well for us. The party will have to work hard for the second phase."
The second phase of the Gujarat elections will be held on December 14.
With the parties in dilemma, jittery candidates have begun analysing turnout data for each and every booth to understand the situation better.
A BJP candidate in Saurashtra said, "I and a senior BJP leader, who is a friend of mine, are calculating the votes in my constituency. We have prepared flow chart diagrams and would count the votes on every single booth. The voting pattern would give me results before December 18, as we know that which booth can be plus for me and which are the minus ones."
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