BS Number Wise: Delhi's turnout in local elections is abysmal, shows data

Municipal polling doesn't draw crowds, and that's not just in India

When India held its first national elections in 1951, 45.7 per cent of the population turned up to vote. That was remarkable for a largely illiterate and newly independent country. By the third general election in 1962, the turnout had risen to 55 per cent. That is higher than what most cities poll today for their local bodies.

In elections for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on December 4, the city registered 50.5 per cent voter turnout. In the 2020 Assembly elections, the city’s voter turnout was 12 percentage points higher, and the national elections in 2019 recorded a 60