While making fun of Pune, whose voter turnout was dismal last week, Mumbai must remember that its own numbers are nothing to crow about
At the end of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, Punekars turned out to be social media's favourite 'whipping boys'. That's because the citizens of the state's cultural capital, who supposedly claim to be smarter than anyone else and have a word of advice or opinion on anything under the sun, did not match the polling figures of the other Lok Sabha constituencies that went to polls the same day. Pune fell 5% short of its 2014 polling turn-out. How could Mumbaikars and the rest of the world let this opportunity pass to turn the knife into Pune's side?
And, the Pune-bashers went all out. A spate of jokes, caustic one-liners (like the ones known as Puneri paatis) and memes that chided the historic city's penchant for wearing its collective wisdom on its sleeve, went viral.
A Smart Alec from Mumbai wrote on his Facebook wall appealing to fellow citizens: 'This is the right time we showed Punekars that we aren't any less. Go vote'. A rejoinder to this post was equally sarcastic. It said: 'No no. Don't challenge Mumbaikars, who may vote even less than Pune to win the competition.'
Staying away? Why?
Jokes apart, a stark reality stares at Mumbaikars. Pune may have had its own reasons for the low turnout, but one reason that stands common between the two metros is their cosmopolitan workforce — the middle/upper middle class — that talks a lot of politics in the drawing and board rooms but shirks its responsibility when dealing with the democratic process, when given a chance to contribute through a secret ballot.
The first thing that gets done immediately after the declaration of polling dates is a quick scanning of the calendar to explore a possible vacation. The dates of the second and third phase of polling did provide ample scope for planning long weekends. The fourth is no different. Six families I know set out last Friday to different destinations, telling me: Dekhte hain, agar jam jaaye toh voting ko aayenge. (Let's see. We will return for voting if possible).
Some asked me, "How do they [the election commission] think of having elections during the school vacations? We are already booked for a trip abroad. Why should we waste our time and money?" This excuse is somewhat acceptable because of the effort and money involved in planning quality time with family. The election authorities, who haven't been able to resolve the school vacation versus polling schedule conflict, should share the blame for their lack of planning. But the people who plan outings only because polling day offers a holiday, do a disservice to the nation. Let's hope that Mumbai doesn't let democracy down on Monday. Last time's Mumbai average was about 53%, which remained less than the rest of Maharashtra, which has voted 60-70% this year.
As I do, the readers may also know of the families which ensure their presence in the city for polling. They register new voters and take them along to polling booths. This ilk keeps our democracy alive. We also come across people who stay home despite being registered as valid voters. What should we call them? Lazy or indifferent?
How Mumbai votes
Barring a few occasions in the past 40 years, Mumbai has favoured a party or alliance that makes the government at the Centre.
PM Narendra Modi seemed to have picked on this observation when he told a rally at BKC on Friday that every election Mumbai understands the direction in which the political wind flows.
In his appeal for support, Modi claimed to have championed the development of Mumbai and growth of its middleclass citizens who form a significant share of votes. And, these are the very people who impact voters' turn-out.
The concern about absenteeism of middle/upper class that I raised previously in the article is shared by political parties in the contest. The contestant's calculations rest on his/her team's efforts in 'pulling' a large number of voters out of their homes. This election is somewhat different because of confusing predictions. The euphoria of 2014 is missing. Modi said the BJP was set to create a new record in 2019. Former home minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the Congress, after the third phase of polling, was projected to win at least 150 seats (that's half of the number where polling was held). With 240 more seats to go to the polls in the remaining four phases, the contrasting and flummoxing projections will continue to be made.
As far as Mumbai is concerned, the mood here is unfathomable. With a 2014 wave-like phenomenon missing and some city-specific issues playing on the back of the voters' mind, all the principal parties have their fingers crossed.
Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
