Thane springs many a surprise

The rise in voter percentage in Thane during the recent municipal elections has shocked political leaders. Statistics indicate that the figures, which hovered at 44 per cent in the 2002 elections, reached 60 per cent this time round.

Politicians view this significant increase as a sign of increased awareness among people. And political thinkers in the city feel that the reason for such a high turnout this time is the power tussle among parties. The Sena-BJP alliance, which has controlled the Thane Municipal Corporation for over a decade has been criticised for being defunct for last five years and ruining the city’s infrastructure, will retain power despite the Congress and NCP’s attempts to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor.

It must be noted that infighting between the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, which resulted in the break up of their alliance, prompted both parties to extensively canvass for votes. This could have helped drive more voters to polling booths.

The delimitation and the increased importance of Thane in state politics are two more reasons why the parties put in an extra effort to ensure maximum voting. The results of these elections will have a long-term effect on state politics as the number of MLAs from the district has gone up to 24 from 14.

Number of votes was also an important factor during these elections. The number of voters went up by two lakh this time, taking the number to 9,09,572.