Assembly polls: Surge in number of elderly voters in Ludhiana, election report

In the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls, there will be 4, 068 more senior citizen voters as compared to the figures in the same category during the Lok Sabha elections conducted in 2014.

This is according to the recently compiled data for the age groups 60-69, 70-79 and 80 years plus by the District Elections Tehsildar Office (DETO), wherein the total number of voters stands as 3, 65, 486, whereas in 2014 this strength was 3, 61,418.

As per the current figures, Gill constituency leads with 21,274 voters in the age group 60-69 whereas Ludhiana West tops in 70-79 and 80 plus age categories with 10,520 and 3,994 voters respectively. On the other hand, Ludhiana South contributes the least in the age groups 60-69 and 80 plus with 9,520 and 937 and with 6,374 voters Ludhiana Central makes the cut in 70-79 age group.

Coming to 2014 figures, with 19,894 voters in 60-69 age group, Gill again left behind other constituencies.Jagraon outnumbered all with 10, 180 and 4,285 voters in 70-79 and 80 plus categories while Ludhiana South had the least elderly voters in all the three age groups with 9,383 (60-69); 3,842 (70-79) and 1,049 (80 plus).

“If a comparison is made between the numbers of senior citizens in urban and rural areas then, a rural area will leave the urban behind and it is also a fact considering the figures for both 2014 and 2016. The core reasons could be the obvious ones such as less dependency upon machines that make one lethargic, rich diet, several platforms for interpersonal communication and real socialisation that beats stress, better living environment with more greenery and clean air to breathe, that certainly makes a difference. When we discussed this with different health experts, they also agreed,” shared Anju Bala, district elections tehsildar.

Meanwhile, Apneet Riyat, additional deputy commissioner cum additional electoral officer, said, “Currently, the total number of senior citizens may be 3, 65,486 but we will try to push this number as high as possible. To achieve the same, our officials from the DETO continue to visit different areas of Ludhiana district to ensure that no elderly citizen is missed for registration for voting.”

The district administration has also claimed that those who need free pick up and drop, especially if one is unable to walk, will be provided transport facility from their homes to the respective polling booths.