Pune's Affluent Areas Show Low Voter Turnout in Municipal Elections

Pune: The voter turnout was relatively low till the afternoon in affluent neighborhoods like Bund Garden–Boat Club Road, Vimannagar, and Kalyaninagar for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections on Thursday. This pattern has been observed in previous civic polls as well.

PMC data till 3:30 pm on Thursday showed that several polling panels covering upscale and mixed-income areas were trailing the city's average turnout at that point, even though participation had improved since the forenoon. The citywide turnout stood at 37% by mid-afternoon, with wide variations across wards. Voting continued till late evening.

The Pune Station–Jay Jawannagar ward, which covers the Bund Garden–Boat Club Road area, recorded a turnout of 31.5% till 3:30 pm. The Koregaon Park–Ghorpadi–Mundhwa ward reported a 33.9% turnout. Both areas lagged behind compared to figures recorded in several other parts of the city at that point.

Turnout in some eastern pockets was better, although still on the lower side. The Vimannagar–Lohegaon ward recorded a turnout of 39.3%, while the Kalyaninagar–Wadgaon Sheri ward stood at 38.5% by 3:30 pm, both marginally above the city average (37%) at that point.

The Aundh–Bopodi ward also reported sparse activity till afternoon, recording a voter turnout of 29.5% by 3:30 pm. Residents and civic activists from all the said localities flagged poor participation at individual booths.

Gautam Idnani, an administrator of a 200-member citizens' civic issues group covering the Boat Club Road to Koregaon Park stretch, said his experience at a polling station in Bund Garden area was disheartening. 'My polling booth is at Anjuman Urdu High School in Bund Garden. Only 43 of nearly 900 voters in the centre had voted when I went there around 10:30 am. It was very disappointing,' he said. Turnout in these neighborhoods has historically remained weak, he added. 'Polling at centres like Wadia College and Anjuman school rarely goes beyond 20%–25%. It is pathetic. We keep urging residents to vote, regardless of political preferences, but civic elections just don't draw them out.'

Abhijeet Patel, a committee member of the Kalyani Nagar Residents Association, told TOI that voter participation at the area's main polling centre was limited. 'Turnout at the main centre in Kalyaninagar was around 20% till afternoon. This is at Erin N Nagarvala School, where the majority of voting happens,' Patel said. He pointed to a familiar hierarchy in voter engagement. 'Turnout is usually higher during Lok Sabha elections because national issues resonate more. It drops during assembly polls and is even lower during local body elections,' he added.

Despite the convenience of location, turnout at upscale housing societies in Hadapsar, namely Magarpatta and Amanora, remained lower than expected. Smita Pandey, a voter at Magarpatta, said, 'My husband and I went early morning to cast our vote when there was no rush. However, the turnout was low even till early afternoon — although the polling booth is conveniently close to the residences.'

The Mohammadwadi-Undri ward had recorded a voter turnout of 37.9% till 3:30 pm.