Over 1 lakh voters skip polling in Kurnool city

 Kurnool: Kurnool city witnessed the lowest polling percentage in the entire district, recording only 63.75 per cent despite extensive voter awareness activities. Around 1 lakh voters in the city did not participate in the polling process this time. Out of 2.75 lakh registered voters, only 1.75 lakh cast their votes. The high turnout in the morning was primarily due to the summer heat, leading many to skip voting later in the day.

Despite voter awareness rallies, sessions at educational institutions, and other initiatives as part of the SVEEP programme, the city saw only a 63.75 per cent voter turnout. Analysts attribute the 37 per cent non-participation to factors such as the failure of senior citizens, the sick and disabled, reluctance among voters and migration to other areas.

In Kurnool city segment, there are 33 divisions out of 52, with the rest belonging to Panyam constituency. Officials arranged 258 polling stations within the city limits. Out of 2,74,465 registered voters in the entire city constituency, 1,74,973 votes were cast in the recent election. The valid votes included 88,215 from women, 86,250 from men, and 9 from transgender persons.

Although there has been an improvement in the polling percentage compared to the previous elections in 2014 and 2019, approximately 1 lakh voters skipped voting this time. The voter turnout percentage was 58.27 in 2014 and 59.53 in 2019, but it increased to 63.75 per cent this time, an enhancement of around 7 per cent.

"There were problems with transportation from other places, severe summer conditions, and no proper follow-up from political parties to encourage voters to cast their ballots. In rural areas, political parties showed more interest, resulting in a 75-80 per cent turnout in many constituencies," said a retired employee K. Nagendra from the C-Camp area.

Several constituencies in Kurnool district recorded high polling percentage, with Pathikonda leading at 84.98 per cent, followed by Mantralayam at 84.31 per cent. Other constituencies such as Yemmiganur (81.97 per cent), Alur (80.73 per cent), and Kodumur (79.14 per cent) also saw high turnout. Adoni was the only segment with a relatively low voter turnout of 66.55 per cent among the rural constituencies.

Interestingly, 6 divisions in the entire city, which comprises 52 wards, recorded around 70 per cent voter turnout. The 10th ward recorded the lowest turnout at 47.6 per cent, while the 5th ward recorded the highest at 73.80 per cent.