Former Telangana IT Minister and TRS working president KT Rama Rao recently had an interaction with IT employees in Hyderabad along with two MP candidates. At the end of the almost one and a half hour interaction, KTR as he’s popularly known was eager to leave.
When some members of the audience tried to make him stay for another question, KTR quipped, “You have to let me go, because I have to hit the streets and I really have to go to those people who I believe will vote.”
Yes, it was a dig at the “IT crowd” that has consistently performed badly when it comes to turning up to the voting booth.
“That’s a dig… I’m saying you guys don’t vote,” KTR confirmed.
“Please show up. Prove me wrong. Please show up and vote and make sure that I’m proven wrong.”KT Rama Rao
KTR’s comment is rooted in the fact that consistently, urban constituencies have low voter turnout.
While not every urban voter is an IT employee, considering a large percentage of people in a city like Hyderabad do work in IT, the extrapolation seems justified.
‘IT Districts’ Have Low Voter Turnouts, Rural Turnout Ranks Much Higher: Stats
Take the case of the recently held Assembly elections in Telangana for instance. While Telangana as a whole recorded a 73.02% turnout, Hyderabad district recorded the lowest turnout in the state, at 48.89%.
Most of the constituencies around Hyderabad recorded low turnouts as well, in the 50-55% range.
Jubilee Hills which is one of the most affluent areas in the city registered a dismal voter turnout of 45.60%.
In contrast, rural constituencies in the state recorded more than 80% voter turnout.
Among them, SC/ST dominated constituencies saw record voter turnouts of upto 92.01% in Madhira, an SC constituency in Khammam, followed by Alair at 91.49%.
KTR’s Sunday, 7 April interaction with IT employees was with the TRS MP candidates from Chevella and Malkajgiri constituencies, Rajasekhar Reddy and Ranjith Reddy.
The Assembly constituencies under Chevella Lok Sabha constituency include Rajendra Nagar, Maheshwaram, Serilingampally and Chevella, while under Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, the Assembly segments are Medchal, Malkajgiri, Quthbullapur, Kukatpally, Uppal, LB nagar and Secunderabad Cantonment.
Among them, Rajendra Nagar, Serilingampally, Malkajgiri, Mechal, Quthbullapur, Kukatpally, Uppal, LB Nagar and Secunderabad are the urban pockets who fare badly when it comes to voter turnout.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, Rajendra Nagar recorded 56.91% voting percentage; Serilingampally 48.62%; Malkajgiri 53.20%; Medchal 60.73%; Quthbullapur 56.06%; Kukatpally 57.82%; Uppal 51.66%; LB Nagar 49.58%; and Secunderabad Cantonment 49.10%.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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