Voting day in Mumbai is always a heated affair — in every sense of the word.
By late afternoon, the turnout had been pretty low. In fact, it was lesser than 30% at 1 pm. This benchmark is a pretty poor number for one of the most populated cities in this country, if not the world.
The Easy Explanations
There could be multiple reasons, which most readers will rattle off quickly.
High temperatures. With temperatures touching the high 30s and humidity in the high 90s, the sweltering heat feels like a suffocating blanket on everything. If you have been outside these days without the safety of office AC, you will feel the continuous sapping of energy and feel dehydrated at the end of every excursion outside.
Working offices. Section 135B exists, but only in principle. Most offices in Mumbai and other metropolitan cities have been working throughout the day, with a half-day being given to employees — if at all. For those who want to vote, the leave is not really needed; for those who don’t, it’s just an extra day off. Most companies choose to interpret it that way.
Long weekend. With elections in Mumbai planned on Monday, a paid holiday all but guarantees everyone a three-day weekend to plan trips. Coming back from a weekend getaway to stand in long queues in this heat is something a lot of people are not going to look forward to.
Voting as an Act of Citizenship
Having said all that — why citizenship in the title?
The reason is simple. By choosing to actively participate in the election of the world’s largest democracy, all of us are making the choice of being a citizen.
Being a citizen doesn’t necessarily mean simply standing in a queue and casting a vote. It means actively working towards the organisational goals of the country. Sadly, this is a trait that hasn’t been inculcated in a lot of people. Folks simply do not know what citizenship is, or what it means to be one.
The elections proceeded smoothly. Markets stabilised. And the nation’s civic consciousness remained, largely, unchanged.