How Uttar Pradesh increased its polling figures?

At 59.07 per cent, the state’s voter turnout for the just concluded general elections has seen a rise from the 58.35 per cent turnout recorded in 2014. 

While the improvement might be marginal, the Election Commission of India undertook a massive SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation Program) at the state and district level to encourage voters to step out of their homes to perform their most important democratic duty. 

Under the SVEEP banner, records, too, were created. For example, Siddharthnagar entered the India Book of Record for the ‘longest human chain transmitting a voice message’ when almost 7,000 participants stood in a nine-kilometer-long chain and raised their voices with the message ‘Vote Do, Vote Do’. A school from Bulandshahr also made it to the record book for the biggest Election Commission logo using thumb impressions. This was done by casting thumb impressions (of both hands) by students and teachers on a raw Election Commission logo portrayed on cloth within 12 hours. 

The state also gave place of pride to PwD (people with disabilities) in the exercise. Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to scale the Mt Everest, was the state level icon for the ECI. Not only did she make extensive use of her social media to encourage higher polling, her foundation (Arunima Sinha Foundation) also took charge of transporting PwD voters from their homes to polling booths on e-rickshaws. In Agra, it was differently-abled international shooter, Sonia Sharma, who called upon voters to exercise their franchise. At Bareilly and Jhansi, cricket matches for PwD voters were very popular while at Pilibhit, the DM took to cycling with them. 

Light was also used to power the message of democracy. In Hardoi, 6,000 candles glowed in the formation ‘Loktantra Mahaparv 2019’ while in Kasganj, 11,111 earthen lamps created a spectacle. In Etawah, 4,000 candles spelled out the message ‘I Will Vote’. In the last district, some wedding parties also turned into venues for voter pledges. A total of 45 schools came together to paint a 1.5 kilometre wall in Saharanpur with voter awareness messages.

In a unique effort, rubber stamps with the message ‘11 April ko vote daalna zaruri hai’ (it is necessary to vote on April 11) were also widely used on newspapers, report cards and medical prescriptions to drive home the message to vote. 

Sonbhadra called on former Naxalites to become a part of the democratic process. The initiative titled ‘From Bullet to Ballot’ was led by the district’s police department. 

Mirzapur ran a special awareness programme for its transgender voters, while Firozabad created its special women icon named ‘Kanchi’ in a nod to the growing power of women in democracy. The name Kanchi is a pick on the district’s glass (kaanch) bangle industry. The face and colours of Kanchi were variously imagined in painting competitions and she emerged from everything- as abstract lines to a PwD voter. 

The state’s voter turnout over the seven phases was 59.07 per cent which means that almost, but not quiet, six in 10 voters showed up to cast their votes. Men stood behind women in the numbers with 59.53 per cent women showing up. This is more than the 58.69 per cent men who cast their votes. The voter turnout of transgenders was 6.28 per cent.

In the seven-phase elections, the first phase saw the highest voting with 63.88 per cent while the phase six was the lowest with 54.43 per cent. Women voters performed the worst in phase five where they recorded only 57.90 per cent turnout. Male voters performed the best in phase one where they showed up in 64.42 per cent. The phase with the lowest voting was phase six with 54.43 per cent. With 10.98 per cent, third-gender voters put up their best show in the sixth phase while their numbers were lowest in phase seven (3.86 per cent).