Why Voter Turnout in Northeast India Consistently Tops National Charts

The recently concluded Assembly elections in Assam saw a voter turnout of 85 per cent, the highest ever for the State. This is part of a 50-year trend of rising participation in the northeastern region. Historically, northeastern States have recorded higher voter turnout in Assembly elections compared to the rest of India.

An analysis of Assembly election data from 1961 to 2015 by The Hindu reveals that out of 42 elections where voter turnout exceeded 80 per cent, 31 were in the northeastern States of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Further, 52 out of 61 Assembly elections in these six States recorded a turnout above 70 per cent.

Rahul Verma, a researcher with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) election studies team, described this trend as 'puzzling'. 'High participation in the electoral process — a reflection of a healthy democracy — coexists with armed insurgencies in the Northeast. Also, a strong pro-incumbent trend has been observed in the region,' he told The Hindu.

Assam has seen voter turnout rise from 52.8 per cent in 1962 to over 70 per cent in all elections after 1985. In 1985, Assam recorded a turnout of 79.21 per cent — its second highest — following the lowest ever of 31.46 per cent in 1983. The BBC reported widespread violence before the 1983 elections, with students protesting the inclusion of large numbers of illegal immigrants on voting lists. Militants warned locals against voting, leading to low turnout.

In contrast, the Hindi heartland has relatively lower turnout. In more than half of all elections in Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, turnout was below 60 per cent. Uttar Pradesh recorded less than 50 per cent turnout in five of its 14 Assembly elections, and turnout never exceeded 70 per cent in the State.

Southern India lies in the middle. Kerala is the only State where all elections had turnout above 70 per cent, while Puducherry crossed that mark in 11 of 12 elections. In more than half of elections in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh, turnout was between 60 and 70 per cent.