Behind every successful parliamentarian in Punjab, there will be women. Skewed sex ratio in the State notwithstanding, more women came out to vote in the 2014 Parliamentary polls than men, displaying in the process how empowered they were in real sense.
The stronger emergence of the weaker sex, in fact, became apparent once again as the Punjab Election Commission released compiled figures on Thursday showing that 71.11 per cent females have exercised their franchise as compared to 70.70 per cent of their male counterpart.
The overall polling per cent of the State has been recorded at 70.89 per cent against 70 per cent during 2012 State Assembly polls, which was earlier expected to touch 73 per cent mark by the Election Commission’s projections.
It was expected that the State would register a record turnout this time against the previous best of 71.13 per cent during 1967 general polls.
Notwithstanding improvement in the State’s sex ratio from 874 in 2001 to 895 in 2011, the percentage of the fair sex coming out to poll has seen a decline of 8.05 per cent from 2012 Assembly polls. But the good news is that the figure has seen a raise from 2009 lok Sabha polls of 1.56 per cent.
On the contrary, the difference between the male and female voting percentage has seen a dip from 1.03 per cent in 2012 polls, to 0.41 in 2014 elections.
Out of the total 1,95,27,114 registered voters, 2014 elections witnessed 1,38,43,196 exercising their franchise. Out of 1,02,66,743 male, and 92,60,136 female voters, 72,58,583 and 65,84,612, respectively, cast their votes.
Of the total 235 voters enrolled under “others” category, only one has exercised the franchise in ludhiana East assembly segment.
Highest 77.59 per cent polling was witnessed in Sangrur constituency where Congress sitting MP Vijay Inder Singla is pitted against Akali stalwart Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Aam Aadmi Party’s Bhagwant Mann.
It was closely followed by Bathinda at 77.46 per cent, and Fatehgarh Sahib at 74.03 per cent. The lowest polling was recorded in Hoshiarpur at 65.16 per cent. During 2009 polls, the highest poll percentage was recorded at 78.92 per cent and lowest at ludhiana at 64.24 per cent.
Among the Assembly constituencies that has witnessed highest and the lowest polling are Budhlada Assembly segment in Bathinda at 82.27 per cent, and Baba Bakala in Khadoor Sahib at 59.71 per cent respectively.
Maximum 77.59 per cent males cast their votes in Bathinda, and 82.37 per cent at Budhlada in Bathinda constituency against lowest 62.75 per cent in Hoshiarpur lok Sabha seat, and 58.27 per cent in Baba Bakala assembly segment.
Their female counterparts polled highest 77.60 per cent in Sangrur constituency, against 67.38 per cent in Amritsar; and maximum 82.17 in Budhlada, and minimum 60.24 in Amritsar South assembly constituency.
When the state polled as high as 78.64 per cent during 2012 state assembly polls, it was thought that the high percentage was a vote for change. Contrarily, the results surprised everyone with the SAD-BJP combine winning the two consecutive elections, something that had happened for the first time in the Punjab’s history.
As the anti-incumbency factor is prevailing against both the Congress at the Centre and the SAD-BJP combine in the state, the poll analysts believed that it was hard to comprehend in whose favour the wind would blow.