Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Precisely as it was expected, the enthusiasm among voters was missing in Indore as Lok Sabha election in this constituency got one-sided with Congress candidate Akshay Kanti Bam pulling out of the poll battle at the eleventh hour, making way for BJP’s big victory here.
Taking advantage of cloudy weather, the voters lined up at polling booths early to exercise their franchise. Among the first ones reaching polling stations were mostly women, who wanted to cast their ballots before beginning their daily chores.
Senior citizens and first-time voters were mostly seen excited about voting. The lack of enthusiasm among middle-aged voters was palpable as tens of thousands of them chose to give a miss to voting.
The main culprit was being the unconventional option of NOTA (None of the Above) against the BJP which haven’t tasted defeat in Indore in the past 35 years.
While the BJP had reposed its faith on incumbent MP Shankar Lalwani, Congress had called for pressing NOTA button on EVMs as its candidate, Bam, had withdrawn from the contest.
With the BJP candidate looking strong due to lack of competition, many voters believing to have known the outcome of the polls did not turn up at booths, resulting in a significant decline in voting percentage.
Muslim voters, which are believed to be Congress’ vote bank, also seemed disinterested in exercising their franchise as most polling stations in Muslim pockets wore a deserted look. Few booths where short queues were seen were conspicuous by Muslim women voters’ absence.
