In 2019 polls, the EC flags low voter turnout in states with higher immigration rates and populations

According to an Election Commission assessment, states with higher immigration rates and populations had lower voter participation in the 2019 general elections.

2019 had the largest voter participation in India’s general elections to date, at 67.4%. However, about 30 million voters, a significant portion of whom were migrant laborers, abstained from voting.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, out of 89.6 crore electors, 61.46 crore voters cast ballots, according to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) statistics report. “The Election Commission of India is concerned about the issue of over 30 crore electors not exercising their franchise and also differential voter turnout in various states and UTs,” the press release from the ECI said. “The voter turnout in general elections in 2019 was 67.4%.”

The panel went on, saying, “One of the main issues that needs to be addressed to increase voter turnout and ensure participatory elections is the inability of domestic migrants to vote.”

The 2011 census revealed that there were 45.36 crore internal migrants, with Uttar Pradesh (31.56 lakh) and Bihar (7.06 lakh) having the highest net out-migration rates nationwide. The two states with the lowest voter turnout in the 2019 general election were Uttar Pradesh (59.21%) and Bihar (57.33%). In 2019, the state with the most migration, Maharashtra (79.01 lakh), saw 61.02 percent of voters cast ballots.

Interestingly, migrant labor centers make up the bulk of places with poor voter participation in the most recent Lok Sabha elections. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar pointed out that Uttar Pradesh has the biggest voter base in the country but one of the lowest voter participation rates when assessing the state’s election preparations.

Many were absent from their registered constituency, which prevented them from casting a ballot. Since most Indian migrants are short-term workers, registering at their place of employment is not a desirable option for them. However, since migrant housing is often informal, it is seldom feasible to get sufficient documentation of residency when enrolling in a new constituency.

For the most part, unpaid leave, lost wages, travel costs, and payment delays prevent migrants from exercising their right to vote. Although there are now plans to enable domestic migrants to vote virtually, they are still entitled to paid leave.

The following main points were made by ECI to raise voter knowledge of their right to paid leave: It is made clear that, in this case, all voters—including temporary employees employed outside the affected constituency—would be eligible to receive the paid vacation benefit granted by Section 135B(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Additionally eligible to a holiday and pay on election day are daily wage and casual workers.

“If such person is employed on the basis that he would not ordinarily receive wages he would have drawn had a holiday been granted to him on that day, then no deduction or abatement of his wages shall be made on account of the holiday having been granted in accordance with sub-section (1).”

“If an employer violates either subsection (1) or subsection (2), they will be subject to a fine that could reach five hundred rupees.”

“Any elector whose absence could put him in danger or result in a significant loss related to his employment shall not be covered by this section.”

It guarantees the “right to leave” on election day for workers who would typically reside in the constituency where the election is held but are employed elsewhere. For instance, a person working in another state who is a voter from Bihar and wants to cast their ballot in their hometown is entitled to a vacation on the day of the elections in Delhi.

Voters in India are entitled to paid leave on election day, as per the Constitution. According to Section 135 “B” of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, workers are entitled to paid time off on election day.