As per the 2011 Census, migrants constitute nearly 43 per cent of the population of the urban agglomeration of Mumbai which includes the districts of Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban and Thane.
With many migrants expected to go on their annual home visits during summer and a substantial number of Mumbaikars planning their summer vacations during the peak of elections, political parties from across the spectrum are working overtime to create awareness among voters to ensure that they are present in Mumbai when the city heads to polls on May 20.
![](https://i0.wp.com/data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg?resize=1%2C1&ssl=1)
Political parties have now rolled out a slew of measures — from door-to-door campaigns to appealing to mosques and madrasas to educate people — and are urging residents to stay back in the city and cast their votes on election day.
As per travel agencies and tour operators across the city, May is among the peak travel months for the city, with most residents planning their vacations as early as January. For these early planners, cancelling their tickets at the last minute comes with the burden of incurring heavy monetary losses.
“Since most schools declare their vacations around April and May, this is the only period of the year during which people can plan a long trip. A lot of our customers had booked their tickets towards the end of May, hoping that the elections would be finished by early May. Now, with the announcement of dates, they are disappointed that they won’t be able to vote,” Bharat Gothoskar, who runs Khaki tours, told The Indian Express.
Amid these trends, politicians have expressed that the voter turnout is likely to be lower this year, leading them to appeal to citizens to plan their vacations around the election date.
Former Congress corporator and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the BMC Ravi Raja said, “In the past few Lok Sabha polls, elections in Mumbai usually ended by the second or the third week of April. Last year, for instance, the polls were held on April 29. This time, since the elections are as late as May 20, we have concerns that the voter turnout will be lower. Many voters have already booked their tickets and made plans, but we are appealing to them to stay back and cast their vote.”
In a bid to reach out to the voters, Raja added that the booth level agents have been conducting door-to-door campaigns to create awareness. “Since the past 3 – 4 months, the booth level workers have been coordinating with the election people and now, for the past one month, we have ourselves started visiting the citizens and appealing to them to adjust their plans and vote.”
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mumbai voted on April 29, witnessing an average of 55 per cent voter turnout on Monday, the highest in a Lok Sabha election since 1989.
According to Harshita Narwekar, former BJP corporator from Cuffe Parade, the voter turnout may even see a bigger dent, with the election dated on a Monday.
“Since people are getting an extended weekend, now we are worried not only about the people who have already booked their tickets but also those who will seek to plan a quick getaway.”
To appeal to the voters, Narwekar said that their party cadre is working on ground through group meetings to create awareness and appeal to citizens to target to come back to town by May 15 at least.
“In the days closer to the election, we will start carrying out door-to-door campaigns as well as use social media, SMS and WhatsApp messages to create more awareness,” she added.
The Sena UBT is appealing to citizens through their gath pramukhs who are convincing people to go to their native places, after casting their votes.
Sena UBT’s Vishakha Raut, who was the former leader of the House in BMC, said, “Through our gath pramukhs, under whom there are 100 – 200 households, we are trying to convince people to stay back and cast their vote. We are appealing to them to plan their trips after voting. Soon, we will be starting door-to-door visits to reach out to larger people.”
Samajwadi Party’s MLA from Bhiwandi Rais Shaikh, meanwhile, told The Indian Express that they have been appealing voters to stay back and vote through mosques and madrasas as well as a network of people including party workers who are conducting door-to-door appeals.
“Most of the migrants from North India go back to their hometown in May. Within migrants, there are ones who vote in their village constituencies while others are the long term residents of Mumbai, who vote here. We have a network through which we are connecting to them and asking them to stay back and vote,” added Shaikh.
Worrisome as it may be, the situation is not entirely bleak, with some travel agencies also witnessing cancellation of bookings.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Uday Kadam, vice president of Maharashtra Tours Organisations’ Association said, “Since the date of elections were announced, we have noticed that bookings have slowed a little. For example, even in the Chardham yatra tour, which continues only for six months, several people have made cancellations.”