India has a tradition of neither high nor low voting. Recently, the voting percentage has increased and is even increasing due to improvements in voting processing. Due to the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the simplification of the voting process, the voting percentage has increased. Before 2014, in most Lok Sabha elections, the voting was an average of 60 per cent. However, since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the voting percentage has shown a big boost and is likely to continue, and the voting in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections was more than 66 and 67 per cent, respectively.
Muslim-dominated-Lok Sabha-seats-have-high-voting-trends. Muslims exercise their franchise more cautiously than other communities. If we look at the trends, in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dhubri Lok Sabha’s seat in Assam topped the country. In-Dhubri in-2014-the-voting percentage was 88.36, which increased to-90.66-per cent-in-2019. Dhubri Lok Sabha-seat-is-represented by Mr Badruddin Ajmal of the All-India United-Democratic Front (AIUDF) since 2009 for three consecutive terms. The seat has been represented by only Muslims since 1967, barring on two occasions.
Other Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha seats have the same trend of high voting. Among Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats, the Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha seats also have a high voting trend. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the Katihar Lok Sabha seat topped the voting percentage, followed by Kishanganj, Purnia, Supaul, and Araria. Barring Supaul, all these seats are known for their high Muslim concentration. In 2014, Lok Sabha Katihar, Kishanganj, Purnia, and Supaul had the highest voting percentages among all the seats in the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, too, of all the 80 seats, the Amroha seat, represented in the 17th Lok Sabha by Danish Ali, topped in voting per cent with 71. Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Jhansi, Kairana, Pilibihit, Bijnore and Moradabad follow Amroha seat. Barring Jhansi, all seats have a high Muslim concentration. In UP in 2019, the voting pattern only followed its 2014 Lok Sabha poll voting trend. Also, in 2014, in UP, Saharanpur, Kairana, Amroha, and Muzaffarnagar were the seats where the voting percentage was highest in order among all the seats. It proves that besides being on the national level in the States, the seats known for high voting are also Muslim-dominated.
Such seats, which have a high Muslim concentration, have a tradition of having almost the same voting percentages with a slight change. Lakshadweep is one such seat. The seat has nearly 95 per cent Muslim voters. The seat has 86 per cent and 85 per cent plus voting in the last two Lok Sabha elections. Maldaha Uttar and Dakshin are two Muslim-dominated seats in West Bengal known for their high Muslim concentration. These seats in two previous Lok Sabha elections have 80 per cent plus voting. Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat has nearly 85 per cent plus voting in two previous Lok Sabha elections. Murshidabad is also one of such seats which have high Muslim concentration, and the seat has elected only Muslims as their representatives in Lok Sabha since 1952. Of course, these representatives were from different parties, but all were Muslims. Barpeta’s seat in Assam also witnessed voting of 85 per cent plus in the last two Lok Sabha elections. Barpeta’s seat was also known for Muslim concentration, and since 1967, only Muslims have been elected as their representatives, barring in 1991 and 1996, including former President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. This time, the composition of the seat has changed, and the Congress party had denied candidature to its sitting Muslim MP Abdul Khaleque and given a ticket to Deep Bayan. In protest, Abdul Khaleque resigned from the party.
Karimganj Lok Sabha seat in Assam also had 75 per cent plus and nearly 80 per cent of voting in the last two Lok Sabha elections. Raiganj Lok Sabha seat also has a tradition of nearly 80 per cent voting. Raiganj seat is also known for its high Muslim concentration. Jangipur and Baharampur Lok Sabha seats are also known for their high Muslim concentration, and these seats had nearly 80 per cent voting in the last two Lok Sabha elections.
Every vote counts in the first-past-the-post electoral system. In India, on three occasions, the election outcome was decided by a margin of 1 vote. However, all these elections were of the Assembly. Again, in 1998, in the erstwhile State of Bihar and currently in Jharkhand, Rajmahal Lok Sabha’s seat was decided by a margin of 9 votes. So, we all should exercise our franchise prudently and without fail. We should consider my vote, which will decide the electoral outcome.
