Bastar can, Colaba can't: Poor voter turnout continues in this Maharashtra urban centre  

Mumbai's Colaba assembly constituency, home to many of the city's wealthiest residents, has once again demonstrated its notorious voter apathy. As of 5 pm on Wednesday, the turnout stood at a mere 41.64 per cent, slightly up from the 40.15 per cent recorded in 2019. This is well below the average turnout across Maharashtra, which was 58.75 per cent. 

Despite efforts by the Election Commission to boost voter participation, including measures to ease the voting process and motivational campaigns, urban constituencies like Colaba continue to show dismal participation. The situation in Colaba has been particularly concerning due to its location, which includes the offices of some of the country's top industrial houses, public sector enterprises, and crucial state government buildings like Mantralaya and the legislature complex. 

Additionally, the constituency covers prominent areas such as Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Churchgate, Marine Drive, Chira Bazar, Masjid Bunder, and Navy Nagar. In the current election, BJP’s Rahul Narwekar is facing off against Heera Nawaji Devasi of Congress.

While Colaba's voter turnout was low, it still showed a slight improvement compared to Kalyan West, another constituency known for poor voter participation. Kalyan West, in Thane district, reported a 41 per cent turnout, a slight decline from the 41.91 per cent seen in the last election. However, the contrast between these urban areas and other regions of the state is stark.

Chimur in Chandrapur district and Nawapur in Nandurbar district saw impressive turnouts, with 74.65 per cent and 74 per cent of registered voters casting their ballots, respectively. In the Chandgad assembly constituency in Kolhapur district, the turnout stood at 74.61 per cent, further underscoring the regional disparities in voter engagement.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar expressed his concerns over the low turnout in urban areas like Colaba and Kalyan West during a review meeting last month. He noted the striking contrast between these urban centres and Naxal-affected regions such as Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and Bastar in Chhattisgarh, which recorded 78 per cent and 68 per cent turnouts, respectively, in the previous elections. 

"When voters in regions like Bastar and Gadchiroli can participate in the electoral process, why can’t Colaba and Kalyan?” Kumar had questioned, emphasising the need for greater civic engagement in the state's urban constituencies.

Final turnout data will be released on Thursday, and that the current turnout figures might rise by about three percentage points. However, even with the potential increase, it is unlikely that Colaba’s participation will come close to the impressive turnouts seen in rural constituencies in Maharashtra.

(With inputs from PTI)