Turning up: On high turnout in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry polls
Assam and Puducherry recorded historically the highest, and Kerala close to the highest, turnout in Assembly elections held on April 9. In Assam, 85.91% of the electorate turned up to vote, while in Puducherry it was over 91.23% and in Kerala, 78.27%. It is hazardous to pinpoint the reasons for high turnouts and treacherous to read meanings into them. However, some reasons are objectively identifiable and some meaningful conjectures can be made. The
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Puducherry and Kerala culled considerable numbers of names — 7.5% and 3.2%, respectively. In Assam, given that a process for the creation of a National Register of Citizens for the State is under way, it was a Special Revision which is a less rigorous updating of the rolls that led to its shrinking by less than 1%. The smaller size of the denominator — the size of the electorate — is one reason why the turnout percentages are high. Ghost voters and duplicate entries may have been eliminated in the process. Another reason for the higher turnout is that due to intense concerns regarding potential disenfranchisement around the SIR/SR, voters may have taken a keener interest in turning up at the booth. In Assam, for instance, large numbers of migrant voters travelled home to vote. In Kerala, anecdotal reporting suggests that its migrant voters from West Asia who travel during polling season could not do so this time due to the ongoing war.
The Election Commission of India, which is facing flak on various issues, took pride in the high turnout. CEC Gyanesh Kumar termed it a “historic testimony not only for India but for the entire democratic world.” Chief Ministers of all three States hailed the voter enthusiasm as a mark of popular support for the continuation of their governments, while the Opposition in all three sought to interpret it as a bugle of change. That dispute will be settled when the votes are counted on May 4, but regardless of the outcome, voter enthusiasm is the sign of a healthy democracy. That precisely is the reason why the ECI should take on board in an enabling rather than a restrictive manner all the disputes regarding the SIR. While the SIR can clean up the voter rolls, it should never become a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Similarly, the upcoming delimitation and women’s reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies must be designed and implemented in a way that expands voters’ trust and enthusiasm in the electoral process.
- 1The high voter turnout highlights the crucial governance role of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a constitutional body under Article 324. Its use of processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to eliminate 'ghost voters' directly impacts turnout percentages. This underscores the ECI's responsibility to balance electoral integrity with preventing the wrongful disenfranchisement of genuine voters, a key challenge in democratic administration.
- 2From a constitutional law perspective, the situation in Assam connects the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process with the right to vote under Article 326. While not a fundamental right, the right to vote is a vital constitutional right. The high turnout, driven by fears of disenfranchisement, underscores the legal principle that any process affecting suffrage must be conducted with utmost care to protect every eligible citizen's franchise.
- 3The differing situations of migrant voters in Assam and Kerala reveal the significant socio-economic impact on electoral participation. In Assam, internal migrants travelled to vote due to NRC concerns, boosting turnout. Conversely, Keralite expatriates, a key source of remittances, were unable to travel from West Asia due to war, potentially altering constituency-level results. This demonstrates how economic migration patterns and global events influence domestic democratic exercises.
- 4The editorial touches upon the diplomatic dimension of elections, with CEC Gyanesh Kumar framing the high turnout as a positive testimony for the global democratic community. This showcases how robust domestic electoral processes are leveraged as a soft power tool in international relations. Simultaneously, the inability of Keralite expatriates to vote due to a foreign war illustrates how international geopolitical instability can directly impact the democratic rights of a nation's citizens abroad.