The turnout in the fourth and final phase of Lok Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh on May 13 stood at 71.7% around 4% less than the 2019 polling. Khargone, where a close fight is anticipated, saw the highest polling of 75.8%, but still 2% below the last turnout.

Ratlam and Dhar, two other hotly contested seats, saw turnouts of 72.7% and 71.5%. Ujjain, CM Mohan Yadav's home turf, saw 73% polling and farm bowl Mandsaur reported a turnout of 74.5% (3.3% drop). After Indore, Khandwa had the sharpest fall of 6.2%, from 76.9% in 2019 to 70.7% in 2024.

State chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan said, "If seen assembly-segment-wise, it is Sailana in Ratlam where maximum voting of 84.5% was reported, followed by Ratlam Rural and Pansemal at 80.6%, and Ghatiya at 77.9%." The bottom five assembly segments were in Indore although the high-pro-file constituency had the maximum number of candidates, 14. Indore-3 assembly segment saw the lowest voting of 56.5%, followed by Indore-5 at 57.2%. Indore-1 where Kailash Vijayvargiya is the MLA, saw only 59.8% polling.

In the last couple of hours of voting, thunderstorms and gusty winds uprooted tents erected outside polling booths and disrupted electricity supply at several places, forcing people to run for cover. Hailstorms and light to moderate rainfall were reported at some places, further damping voters' spirits. The Malwa-Nimar turnout fell well short of the 2019's benchmark of 75.7%. Polling started fairly briskly – touching 15% around 9 am and 32.4% by 1l am-but slowed down after that.

Indore, where BJP was challenged only by NOTA after the shock withdrawal of the Congress candidate, saw the lowest and slowest polling, struggling to 60.5% – a plunge of 9% over 2019. As expected, Congress candidate's last-minute pullout and switching to BJP had a dampening effect on voters. "Withdrawal of Congress candidate was an injustice with the electors of Indore. Had he not opted out of the contest, Indore would have recorded more than 70% voting. There is no enthusiasm among voters, as you can see," a voter, Subhash Chandra Gupta, said as he stood in queue outside a booth. Those who did vote were offered free poha at Indore's famed Chhappan Dukaan food street. Some 3,000 voters took up the offer.

The absence of Congress candidate from the poll race in BJP bastion Indore Lok Sabha seat for the first time ever in the history, dampened the spirit of voters with many not very enthusiastic about voting and expected a fair competition between major political parties.

Reacting to absence of Congress former speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the country need strong opposition. Voters aged 18 years to 100 plus, brides and grooms, people in wheelchairs and a group of blind women were among those who queued up outside polling booths in Indore.

The election office roped in around 700 e-rickshaws to ferry voters and many eateries distributed free breakfast and tea to those who showed their inked finger. Collector Asheesh Singh sent teams to several workplaces that hadn't given leave to employees to vote, and closed them down so the staff could vote.

Amid voter apathy, NOTA and uncalled political turmoil were the centre of discussion among voters at polling stations that recorded a low turnout in morning hours but later improved by afternoon. "It is indeed a sad travesty that there is no Congress candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This is an unprecedented happening which could have been easily avoided. This uncalled situation has dampened the spirit of voters," said an 85-year-old voter Sushil Sureka.

Voters said they lack the zeal to step out to vote but also not in favour of wasting valuable votes. The less enthusiastic participation in the Lok Sabha polls following a political turmoil was evident with many voters saying that their neighbours and friends have chosen to travel over voting.

It is interesting that both BJP and Congress are blaming each other for low voting. It is pointed out that in several constituencies, BJP mobilisation was less than expected. But why it is difficult to analyse.

Similarly the Congress network in several constituencies was weak. Even at the level of headquarter, the coordination was lacking. The State Chief of Congress Patwari did not inspire rank and file. Reason is he himself lost in the recent Vidhan Sabha election. (IPA Service)