Bengaluru has long been plagued by a low voter turnout, despite the city’s residents being actively involved in civic activism. In the 2013 and 2018 assembly polls, voter turnout was only 62% and 57%, respectively. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the numbers dropped even further, with a turnout of 54.1%.
Various factors contributed to this issue, including errors in the voters’ list, deceased voters’ names remaining on electoral rolls, and urban apathy towards the political system. But this year, the city’s hospitality sector is hoping to change that.
Restaurants in the city are making verbal pleas as well as offering free food and movie tickets to incentivise voters. This comes despite the BBMP’s order disallowing hotels and restaurants from making any kind of offer to voters during the elections. The hope is that this initiative will encourage more people to turn up at the polling booths and take part in the democratic process.
