Voting patterns of Uttar Pradesh assembly election: A geographical analysis

Mapping voters turnout of a region, is one of the major and challenging tasks for an electoral geographer, as it reflects the level of political awareness and development of that particular region. The present study attempts to assess the spatial pattern of voters turnout in Uttar Pradesh 2017 assembly election, with a view to bringing out the electoral consciousness and party performance in various constituencies. The result reveals that there is much variation in voters turnout across the region. It was highest in the western region (64.58 percent), and the lowest was in the eastern region (57.87 percent). The spatial spread of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and its pre-poll partners Apna Dal (AD) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) votes become much uniform with an increase in overall party vote share. Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and its pre-poll partners have performed excellently in all regions, both in terms of seats and vote shares. In 2017 assembly election, young, educated and economically well-off urban dwellers were instrumental and important in influencing the voting segment. A voter favours any political parties on the basis of governance, development issues instead of friends and neighbourhood effect, identity (castes, community and religious) politics.