The election campaign has gained momentum in all the eight assembly seats where bypolls will be held on 3 November in Gujarat. But the possibility of a low voter turnout cannot be ruled due to the corona-induced pandemic. Both the BJP and the Congress are making strategies to ensure good turnout of voters on the polling day.
It is said that the people may avoid going to polling booths amid corona fear when voting gets underway in the first week of November. Apart from Covid-19 related issues, people are also reeling under economic problems resulting from inflation. Observers believe that people seem to be less interested in elections as their focus is on whatever economic activities are left to be done.
With Diwali approaching, people are busy managing their economy keeping in view the festival. Therefore, their attention is not towards the bypolls. The possibility of a poor voter turnout has given anxious moments to Congress and BJP.
Though both the political parties are involved in the campaign, they are also calculating and making an assessment of what impact it will have on the outcome if the voting percentage declines.
The BJP campaign is not gathering that much steam in the absence of star campaigners such as PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP is finding it difficult to galvanise the voters in its support in the absence of senior party leaders from Delhi.
Even Congress leaders could not give the much-needed impetus to the campaign. Congress’ star campaigners are also not there on the field. The local level issues have been left behind with Congress and BJP leaders indulging in levelling personal allegations against one another. Infighting and factionalism are there in both the BJP and the Congress. This is leading to candidates of both the parties getting a bit nervous. However, they have started making arrangements to ensure that voters could be taken to the polling booths in large numbers.
